Thunder Valley Casino Holds Job Fair As Employers Scramble For Candidates
LINCOLN (CBS13) — A local casino is looking for dozens of full and part-time workers amidst a labor shortage.
"I rushed up here, hair looking crazy, but it's all good," said Marcus Littlejohn.
Littlejohn was first in the door for the Tuesday job fair at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort.
"It's a win-win. It's good food, plus it's an experience where I can elevate in life," said Littlejohn.
They are looking for 75 full and part-time positions.
"We are hiring on the spot," said Debi Fetzner, vice president of HR for Thunder Valley. "We are looking for 40 guest room attendants we have 25 positions for janitorial staff."
Thunder Valley says it's been challenging to find employees with people taking advantage of unemployment and pandemic stimulus packages.
"We are hearing people are choosing to stay home instead of coming to work, so we are hoping we can turn that around and have them come work for Thunder Valley," Fetzner said.
Experts are also taking note of how some people are choosing to stay on unemployment.
"The government has incentivized a lot of these low-skilled [and] unskilled minimum wage workers to just stay home because the check you get is way larger by staying home than you will ever make by going back to work," said Sanjay Varshney, a professor of finance at Sacramento State University.
Varshney, who is also the owner of Goldenstone Wealth Management, argues that the $12 trillion the government doled out to help when 10 million jobs were lost during the pandemic actually hurt businesses.
"A lot of businesses are competing for the same type of labor," he said.
Varshney predicts the problem will continue as the cash continues to come.
"Because the Biden administration is planning another $4 trillion that includes an infrastructure package and money for constituents," Varshney said.
He says Thunder Valley incentives like one free meal a shift, 401K matching funds and tuition reimbursement are great incentives for full-time entry-level jobs.
"This would be a step forward," Littlejohn said.
Prospective Thunder Valley employees will need to pass a drug test and background check. Only people 18 and older can apply.
