As Unemployment Soars, Some Industries Looking For Workers

CHARLOTTE, NC – North Carolina unemployment surging to new highs since mid-March. On Wednesday, Gov. Cooper said nearly 600,000 people had applied for unemployment benefits in the last six weeks.  That number is roughly 10% of the entire state’s workforce. 

For a list of Mecklenburg County Job Opportunities, CLICK HERE

“We’re just in uncharted territory that we’ve never seen,” said Kenny Colbert. 

Colbert is the President of The Employers Association. He says his phones have been ringing none stop for the last three weeks. All the calls are related to COVID19.

“It’s all sectors. Obviously the hospitality industry has been the most dominant phone call,” said Colbert.

He says employers in the area are working on ways to cut payroll, furlough workers, and implement layoffs. The numbers are massive. 

Colbert says in all of February, 11,000 people filed unemployment claims. On Wednesday, 25,000 claims were filed. 

“Literally overnight its exploded,” said Brady Teague. 

Teague is the Co-founder of Talent Bridge. His company matches people looking for work with hiring employers. 

“A month ago, they [employers] would receive 20 position responses, they’re receiving 200 responses. So it’s totally changed the dynamic of the employment marketplace,” said Teague. 

Teague says manufacturing, logistics, and online customer service companies are hiring

“Those companies cannot find enough talent,” said Teague.

Teague says people who’ve been laid off can pivot to a new industry or try improve on their skill set to make themselves more attractive to employers. 

“There are tremendous online resources available and I feel like if people can take this time to really better themselves,” said Teague.

Talent Bridge offers resources on their website for people looking for a job.