WRAL News

April 22, 2021

By Julian Grace, WRAL anchor/reporter

Watch the the video here.

As coronavirus-related restrictions begin to loosen, more people are hiring.

The push to make hires quick could be great news for those looking for work. In some cases, employers are even offering signing bonuses.

“It makes me feel happy,” said Triangle resident Anna Martin. “I know there is a new restaurant opening up down the street.”

O2 Fitness filled 16 positions this week, and the company is still looking for workers. The Durham Bulls has job openings for ground crew, dishwashers and and on-field announcer.

“We are getting more vaccinations, [and] people’s confidence is going up. States are releasing restrictions. We’ve had money in the economy, and the federal government has pumped in $5 trillion, so people have money to spend,” said Michael Walden, an economics professor at North Carolina State University.

At the same time, companies have products to sell.

“There is pent-up demand, and I think companies understand [that], as we go into summer, this is the summer we are going into with some level of comfort,” said Henry McKoy, a business professor at North Carolina Central University.

The same hiring signs could be up for a little longer for a couple of reasons, including that people are still nervous about COVID-19 and not ready to go out in public, while some are making more money on unemployment.

“That’s what I hear from businesses,” said Walden. “They can’t find people. I think that will loosen up as we get more people vaccinated, [as] confidence goes up, [as] people go back into the labor force.”