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This photo provided by Hannah Albert on Sept. 23, 2020 shows Steve Klatt, left, and Brandon Lapp, owners of Braised in the South, a Johns Island, S.C, restaurant and food truck business that is having trouble finding workers during the pandemic. Many small businesses find hiring more difficult because many would-be staffers fear contracting COVID-19 on the job or would prefer to live off unemployment benefits. (Hannah Albert via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) It looks like something to celebrate: small businesses posting “Help Wanted” signs as the economy edges toward normalcy. Instead, businesses are having trouble filling the jobs, which in turn hurts their ability to keep up with demand for their products or services.
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Ports across the US reported record-breaking numbers in March because of consumer spending that drove demand for ocean shipping, according to Supply Chain Dive.
Import volumes rose greatly across the country, with imported intermodal containers growing almost 51% year-over-year (YoY) across the US. These numbers are led by higher imports from Asia. Imports from China were up 177% YoY, and imports from Vietnam were up almost 75% YoY, the article said.
These figures indicate that consumer demand is driving the surge. S&P Global numbers show that imports of leisure products like toys and workout equipment to US ports rose almost 95% YoY. Meanwhile, imports of home furnishing items rose 91% YoY. Supply Chain Dive reported that the number of imports coming to US shores is not expected to ease anytime soon.
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“The people who do show up, all assume their unemployment is running out,” says Klatt, whose business, Braised in the South, is located in Johns Island, South Carolina. The maximum weekly unemployment benefits in the state are $626 including $300 in federal coronavirus relief payments; in some states, maximum unemployment is over $700 a week.
Klatt and Lapp need 20 people to run the business well but have only five staffers. Former chefs, the owners and their wives are working in the kitchen and on the truck to keep things running. Klatt and Lapp recently decided to curtail their Sunday hours and close Mondays to give everyone a break.