Jersey Shore Has An 'Employment Crisis' For Seasonal Jobs With Memorial Day Week On Horizon
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- Memorial Day Weekend is just four weeks away, but businesses down the Jersey Shore are struggling to fill thousands of seasonal positions. On the boardwalk in Atlantic City, many store managers say there is a lack of applicants for seasonal positions.
"People want to get out and do stuff," Maria Henry said.
The Henry family made a day trip to the Atlantic City boardwalk on Wednesday, but they really can't wait to bring 2-year-old Isabella to Morey's Piers in the Wildwoods when it opens next month.
"She's going to love it," Henry said. "We went there as kids, so just continuing the tradition."
But the 70-year-old amusement park has a lot of seasonal jobs still open.
"We have 1,500 jobs in positions like ride operator, lifeguard, food and beverage, games, parking," Denise Beckson with Morey's Piers said.
Morey's Piers is offering $15 an hour for seasonal workers. That's well above the state minimum wage for seasonal workers in New Jersey at $11.10 an hour.
"I think that the extended unemployment benefits contribute," Beckson said. "I think people's continued COVID safety issues are an issue. For some people, perhaps childcare."
Morey's Piers is not alone.
The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce says up and down the Garden State, finding seasonal workers this summer is a challenge.
"We really do have an employment crisis going on in Cape May County and for our seasonal businesses," Vicki Clark with the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce said. "But really, it's across the board."
Morey's Piers is set to open its doors on May 8.
Businesses here along the Atlantic City boardwalk are also working to ramp up hiring.