Several ArkLaTex businesses looking for new employees

By NATE FLUHARTY, KTBS TV

Click here for updates on this story

    SHREVEPORT, La (KTBS) — If you’ve visited area businesses recently, you’ve probably seen a sign saying “help wanted.” In the last year many have struggled not only retaining their workforce, but attracting new applicants.

“If you want a job, now is a great time because there is a lot of opportunities out there,” said David Tinkis, Goodwill of North Louisiana president and CEO.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants across the nation were closed and many workers were asked to stay home. But when customers were allowed to return, more than nine million of those workers did not.

In June, unemployment numbers hovered around 5.9%, well above the pre-pandemic rate of 3.5%. Since then several local businesses have been reaching out to places like Goodwill for help.

“There are good jobs out there and the reality is in this market so many employers are struggling to find employees that employers are paying more, they’re providing better benefits, and some are changing how they do background checks to cast a wider net for employees,” Tinkis said.

One place that’s been busy trying to help local businesses fill that need is Goodwill Industries. For 95 years, Goodwill has been the place to go in Shreveport for those looking for a new job, but this year’s job market is unlike many here have ever seen before.

“We teach them how to interview correctly, how to write their resume, things that definitely change. Now that a lot more people doing online applications and the use of artificial intelligence on how they screen applications. If you haven’t looked for a job recently, it’s totally a different ballgame,” said Lynn Stevens Workforce Development director.

Whether it’s manufacturing, retail, or healthcare, one of the most important parts of the job puzzle is getting the training these applicants will need to work.

“There’s a very wide spectrum. We could get people some entry-level employment, especially if they haven’t worked in awhile,” Tinkis said. “It helps learning to get to work, be a good employee, and getting that experience so they can start building that resume but at the same time get that education and training for jobs that do pay more.”

One of the best ways they’ve been offering that assistance is through job fairs, held every two weeks.

“If you don’t like what you’re doing you’re not going to go to work. So for us, that’s why our retention rate is so high. At 90 days we evaluate all the people that we’ve placed. Our retention rate is almost 85%,” said Stevens.

Businesses in a number of fields have also been taking part. Unless the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, they’re expecting to continue the job fairs in the fall months ahead.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.