REGION — In a pandemic world, it has become impossible for any business or organization in Maine to operate fully staffed and Oxford Hills is no exception. Marquis signs loop messages of available positions. Storefronts display help wanted signs. Demand is up for goods and services but a contracted work force continues to threaten the economic recovery of 2021.

Hildreth & Company of South Paris provides financial and accounting services, geared toward small and start-up businesses and has a front seat to a climate with no precedent. Owner Marc Hildreth watched many struggle to maintain staff since the pandemic and the issues continue.

“A significant portion of my clientele are in the automotive repair/used car sales industry,” said Hildreth. “They are small repair shops with two – five mechanics. Some also sell gas and or convenience store items,” said Hildreth. “COVID issues played a part even though their businesses were not on the list that had to close or work remotely.

“There is a seasonal nature to the business and the ‘slow time’ was a bit slower and lasted a bit longer than usual. The ability for their business to receive PPP loans (1st & 2nd draws) was key to keeping them in business.”

Besides a shortage of employees, Hildreth said restaurants and bakeries still struggle with shortages of products, sometimes having to close on days that they would not normally have to.

Business for Flanders Electric, Inc. of Norway has grown exponentially since the pandemic. President Heath Poland said he worried when things first shut down, but working remotely and having to stay in spurred customers to start calling.

“We have been inundated since the pandemic,” Poland said. “In all my years, I’ve never seen it the way it is now.”

The big challenge for electrical contractors to find help is the license required for employees to do the work. It is exacerbated by the requirement that in most cases the ratio of licensed electricians to electrician’s helpers is 1:1. Poland cannot put anyone new to the trade to work without an experienced electrician to oversee them on the job.

“I can hire kids to train up,” Poland explained. “But it can take three to five years for them to be able to get their license.”

Flanders Electric has around two dozen employees currently and has been advertising for new help for months. Poland says he has had maybe a dozen of applicants over the summer, but not one of them has been a state-licensed electrician.

“Right now, I could hire every person who applies if they have a license,” said Poland. “But we aren’t getting qualified applicants. We are seeing men and women who are looking to make a career change, unemployed people who want to try it out, and kids right out of school.”

Western Maine Steel, a custom fabricator that also selsl welding materials retail, has a smaller workforce but faces the same issue finding qualified employees.

“Absolutely I am trying to find help,” said owner Jay Morrissette during a phone interview last week. “I lost two welders. I finally hired a new guy to come in but he worked one week and walked away.

“For our business, all fabricators are welders but not all welders are fabricators. Everything we do is custom work. It takes a level of creativity to be able to do it. The things we weld take different materials than what kids learn at the tech school, where they are part of the auto-collision program. It’s a different application.”

In the case of the one-week wonder, it was no big loss for Morrissette in the end.

“When I hired him, he said ‘I can make anything,’ so I told him I would pay him $25 an hour for a week. At the end of the week I’d decide if he was worth it. After a week I told him he was worth $17. That was the end of him.”

Morrissette stopped advertising for qualified help after he was able to recruit one fabricator who had been working at Bath Iron Works. He is still short one employee and with business up 40% this year he could use more help but can’t afford to hire welding novices.

“He (from BIW) was known to me,” Morrissette said. “I called him and said, ‘I need you to come work for me.’ And he did.”

Norway Brewing Company has a dining/bar business and a wholesale line. According to General Manager Erik Flye, even though they are able to hire staff with little or no experience they had to adjust their business model this year, with goals to expand wholesale and maintain taproom revenues from the previous year.

“We worked to expand purchases of our kegs for draft lines and to go cans/bottles for retail as a response to pandemic-related taproom service obstacles,” wrote Flye in an email statement. “We did a great job exceeding our prior year wholesale goals. There were times during the year where we even exceeded prior year taproom service sales, too.”

With more emphasis on wholesale products, Norway Brewing did not experience the employee shortages other public-facing businesses have struggled with until recently.

“A lot of our employees are seasonal, mostly students who only work the summer; unlike years prior we are not getting any new applicants to replace them [this fall],” Fley said. “Since Labor Day we have adjusted our hours. We are closed on Wednesdays and closed on Sunday dinner, because we lack the staff to operate them.”

Positions needing to be filled this fall include a line cook, dishwasher and two servers/bartenders for the taproom. Norway Brewing is also hiring a wholesale sales rep and a brewer.

“We have Approximately 15 employees, although only five-seven employees could be considered full-time,” wrote Flye. “Some employees only work one-two days.”

In August Hildreth found himself needing to replace a part time employee with bookkeeping and accounting skills. About a month after the employee left, he had received three applications and responded to a couple of phone inquiries about the job.

“Generally speaking, applicants have been qualified, or trainable,” Hildreth said. “Some have been under-qualified, as they are looking for a complete change in careers, looking for a starting position that they can be trained to do. I’m not big enough to offer that type of position at this time. With a part-time position it’s hard to find ‘star’ candidates.”

With part time workers only Hildreth & Co. does not provide health insurance benefits but offers holiday pay and paid time off, IRA and HSA plans after one year of employment and perks such as weekly staff lunches and a summer lobster bake.

Many organizations have resorted to hiring bonuses. School Administrative District 17 has instituted cash bonuses for new bus drivers, to be paid out incrementally. The incentive has brought applications from experienced CDL drivers, but the regulations involved with bus-driving certification still turns the process for new hires into three to four months of training.

At Flanders Electric, Poland said that his company is footing the cost for some younger employees to earn their Maine electrician’s license.

In addition to perks for all employees that include discounts on food, beer and merchandise, shift drinks and meals, Flye said that Norway Brewing is looking into providing health insurance benefits to full time workers, who already get paid time off. Flye added that the brewery and tap room offer good opportunities to employees with no prior skills.

“We have made many, many hires with no experience in this industry and trained them for the kitchen, bar, sales/marketing, even brewing,” he said. “For us, we are always on the lookout for a great person that’s a great fit for our brand. For us, that comes before qualifications.

“The overwhelming majority [of hires] are under-qualified. However, we have found some amazing and valuable members of our crew in there.”

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