Volt Workforce Solutions, a local job resource center, is actively recruiting people looking for jobs but they aren't getting a lot of applicants.
“Recently, we’ve seen a huge increase in job opportunities here and companies reaching out to us to connect with our network. However, there aren’t as many job seekers,” said Volt Staffing Consultant Garbielle Fletes.
Volt Workforce Solutions in Paso Robles says they’ve seen a 50% increase in job opportunities since January, but also a 40% decrease in job seekers.
“We do have the stimulus that is incentivizing people to stay home, but at the same time, this is a job seeker's market. There are tons of opportunities out there,” Fletes said. “[It's] an excellent time to transition. Companies want great talent.”
People like Ruby Hernandez became unemployed due to the pandemic.
“I was laid off and [had] been on unemployment for two months. Then after that, Volt helped me find my next job,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez is now a temporary warehouse inventory auditor and hopefully, a full-time opportunity somewhere comes her way soon. Others, already employed, used help from the workforce staffing company to change industries and even get a bump in pay.
“My situation specifically, I wasn’t necessarily looking, but it did kind of come out of left field and give me an opportunity that I otherwise wasn't looking for,” said Blake Philips, Broken Earth Winery Warehouse Manager.
Volt Workforce Solutions says the industries hiring the most workers right now in San Luis Obispo County are wineries and manufacturing.
Overall, the unemployment rate in SLO County is improving, decreasing from 6.3% in February to 5.8% in March, according to the SLO County Workforce Development Board.
