Special Questions

Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey

Data were collected July 12–20, and 85 Texas manufacturers responded to the survey.

NOTE: 84 responses.

NOTES: 55 responses. This question was only posed to those currently trying to hire or recall workers.

NOTES: 46 responses. This question was only posed to those noting a lack of available applicants/no applicants.

NOTE: 83 responses.

NOTES: 44 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill low-skill positions.

NOTE: 83 responses.

NOTES: 184 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill mid-skill positions.

NOTE: 84 responses.

NOTES: 39 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill high-skill positions.

Special Questions Comments

These comments have been edited for publication.

• Salary demands in the face of recession and extreme inflation are outpacing our industry's ability to compensate. Workers are beginning to “hunker down” and only accepting a change for a significant compensation increase opportunity versus job satisfaction or other benefits. 

• We are trying to hold incomes and employment levels of current staff steady, anticipating a decline in demand over the next six months, at least through the mid-term elections.

• We gave up hiring. There is no one out there that wants to work at the market pay scales we can afford.

• The need for labor is constrained by our inability to get the component parts needed for production. If we could get parts, we would have additional needs for labor.
• We had a RIF [reduction-in-force] based on skills we no longer need, and we are hiring for skills we need today and moving forward.

• As a manufacturing entity, we must have employees show up at work. It is increasingly difficult to compete with "tech" companies which are allowing many of their technical employees to work three to four days a week at home.
• We are only filling must-fill vacancies.

• Over the past two months, we have seen an increase in the number of applicants for our open positions. This increase, coupled with our decision to increase our starting wage to $14 per hour, has allowed us to fill most open positions quickly and efficiently. 
• You cannot find a staff accountant with any experience. Many entry-level hires show for a day or a few days and then just disappear—no call, no nothing.

• Employee availability is very low, as we have had high employment turnover in El Paso for forklift/shipping-and-receiving type roles. We cannot find low-skilled workers, and if we do, they want a wage that is too high for those low-skilled roles.
• We are not looking to hire at all until we have a better sense of what is to come.

Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey

Data were collected July 12–20, and 282 Texas business executives responded to the survey.

NOTE: 275 responses.

NOTES: 165 responses. This question was only posed to those currently trying to hire or recall workers.

NOTES: 117 responses. This question was only posed to those noting a lack of available applicants/no applicants.

NOTE: 277 responses.

NOTES: 115 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill low-skill positions.

NOTE: 273 responses.

NOTES: 136 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill mid-skill positions.

NOTE: 275 responses.

NOTES: 117 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill high-skill positions.

Special Questions Comments

These comments have been edited for publication.

• We are looking for diesel mechanics. We’ve tried the workforce commission, Indeed, social media, newspaper and referrals. We are short three mechanics.

• Supply and demand for capable skilled workers will be a very long-term problem, but the supply-chain issues and ripples I thought would last a couple of years will be even longer due to the complex issues and unpredictable circumstances that keep bubbling up, like [the Russia/Ukraine war] now extending much longer into the future with negative effects. Also, general labor costs will continue upward at high levels. And the new administration’s push toward “unions for all” is an added unwelcome negative on the country, with far-reaching long-term effects to be globally competitive, as they produce higher costs with less per dollar productivity value. More onshoring success (U.S. sourcing) with significant union involvement and their controls is a joke.

• I am seeing a softening in labor demand. We are still hiring, but it seems to be easier to hire. We are 100 percent remote, so that makes it easier.
• In the past month, we have hired for three high-skilled positions and are not looking for any more at this time.
• We have no low-skill positions.
• In our rural markets, there is increasing pressure on providing competitive benefits to attract highly skilled employees.

• Clients continue to voice concern over the low number and quality of applicants for jobs and the lack of skill sets or experience required.

• Those with certifications and/or experience in trades like HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] repair, pool maintenance and basic construction are nearly impossible to find. Those who are moving are commanding up to 25 percent more than they made a year ago. Many no longer appreciate that a successful career involves many hours and years of dedication, practice and sacrifice. Some are put out that we won’t accommodate them working from home or the hours they please. Many are about to be passed by in favor of those with stronger work ethics.
• All workers require training, and more than ever, employees will leave at the drop of a hat with no warning or attempt to stay in a job and with no consideration for their employer.

• We have the two-edged sword in Texas of a hot oil patch. That is great for business, but it is almost impossible to find and keep good people. They can go down the street and work for an oil company for $50,000 a year more, until the boom busts and then they have no job at all. We have absolutely destroyed the will to work, exceed and succeed in this country.

• We are preparing to expand our team, so there is a certain level of anxiousness as we prepare to fill a high-skilled position and balancing that with on-boarding, added expense, increase in costs and not quite bringing in the level of business needed to support the extra person. But we need to grow in order to alleviate some of the time our current employees are putting into the business.
• The only hiring we are doing is for replacement of lost workers.
• It’s difficult to project staffing needs with the economic uncertainty and an inflationary environment.

• Traditional hiring paths are not yielding effective results.
• We are still experiencing applicants that arrive at the interview presenting with an “if it happens, it happens” attitude about employment. I worry about the future in the hands of the next generation.
• It's the same as it has been for a long time. Applicants apply, they get hired, then they do not show up for work. Moreover, even if they are offered a premium wage, they still do not show up.
• There is something very wacky going on in the labor market. We get a lot of [undocumented] immigrants that apply. We turn them away. We need people with driver's licenses. They are virtually nonexistent. Again, this is a wacky part of the labor market.
• Difficulty hiring is very dependent on the skill set required by the open job. The more skilled or more specific the skill set required, the harder it is to find that candidate, in general.

• Candidates want more flexibility and remote work. Commitment level is low and turnover is high.

• While there is the normal number of dentists looking for jobs, there is an extreme shortage of dental hygienists and a complete shortage of dental assistants—even our temp agencies have no one to offer, much less candidates for full-time employment.
• Compensation is the biggest obstacle.

• Our business is health care. Certified nurse aides are the most difficult positions to fill, followed by nurses, RNs [registered nurses] and LVNs [licensed vocational nurses]. Also, we have much difficulty hiring general maintenance and grounds positions due to background-check issues.

• We lost or terminated three key employees in recent weeks: corporate beverage director, corporate chef and corporate event planner. We will not refill those positions.
• I have no idea where experienced workers have gone. Most applicants are not willing to work and continue to ask for more than can be paid.
• It is a very tight labor market, with a lack of applicants in the restaurant industry.
• High school students have filled positions during the summer months.
• Low-skill, barista-level-position applicant numbers have increased. There is difficulty finding qualified applicants. Management-level [employees] are demanding and getting significant wage increases.

• We are looking for skilled HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] field people.

• I have a two-person operation, and we’re fairly stable on staffing. The manufacturing industry we service in our region indicates recruiting and retention challenges for industrial mechanics, machine operators and forklift operators. About 20 percent say they have no difficulty with recruitment or retention—these primarily have the best pay and benefits, and they tend to attract new people from the companies with lower wages/benefits.

Texas Retail Outlook Survey

Data were collected July 12–20, and 57 Texas retailers responded to the survey.

NOTE: 56 responses.

NOTES: 36 responses. This question was only posed to those currently trying to hire or recall workers.

NOTES: 31 responses. This question was only posed to those noting a lack of available applicants/no applicants.

NOTE: 57 responses.

NOTES: 32 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill low-skill positions.

NOTE: 57 responses.

NOTES: 33 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill mid-skill positions.

NOTE: 57 responses.

NOTES: 19 responses. This question was posed only to those trying to fill high-skill positions.

Special Questions Comments

These comments have been edited for publication.

• Our business has seen solid growth over the past 18 months, and we’re ready to hire more labor to handle the new business.

• There are few to no applicants for any position.  When we do set up an interview, the no-show rate is more than 50 percent.
• The demand for skilled and experienced repair technicians greatly exceeds supply.
• Auto technicians are extremely hard to find, even at lower skill levels. Retail sales applicants have dropped off. There seems to be interest with college recruits, but they are unskilled in sales.
• We have important openings for highly skilled auto technicians.

• There is still high demand for workers.

• The employment situation is improving. Sales are slowing. This is when I expand, as it’s easier to get help. [I] started insulation, fence, concrete batch plant and prefabricated concrete companies in the last three months.

• We need to hire truck drivers who can move hazardous materials. Both the federal and state (Texas) government bureaucracy makes it very difficult. An applicant now has to take a class. Then wait weeks for an appointment to take a test. Then wait weeks to do a supervised vehicle inspection. Then wait weeks to take a hazmat [hazardous materials] test (much of which has little do with driving). Then, if the applicant passes, he has to wait weeks to be fingerprinted. Then the applicant has to wait weeks on a response from the TSA [Transportation Security Administration] to see if he passes. Then the applicant has to wait weeks to get his new license.  It can take six months to get a CDL [commercial driver’s license] + hazmat. Make no mistake: 90 percent of the trucker shortage problem is government-created.