Gilmer County is facing labor shortages in private industries, but it is affecting county government as well.
Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris said he has seen employee shortages for the last six to eight months.
“And, it’s been getting worse over that time,” he said.
Hiring has been a problem in maintenance and other offices at the county, but a place where it is most noticeable is in the road department. Out of 30 positions, eight are vacant.
“One of the problems we are having is the labor pool, as everyone is experiencing,” said Gilmer County Public Works Director Jim Smith.
Preliminary May numbers put Gilmer County’s unemployment number at 3.1 percent.
While the county has experienced growth, Smith points out it has been mostly retirees and not people in the workforce.
“The labor pool has dwindled,” he said.
Pay has come into the equation.
Positions open in the road department range from entry level crew workers at $11 to CDL drivers at $15.
Paris and Smith both acknowledge pay may be a factor and is something to be addressed in the next budget.
“The road crew we need to pay more,” Paris said. “We know we are going to have to raise that amount.”
Smith said many times they train workers who then move to other counties or cities for more pay.
Local builders, with the current boom, have raised starting pay for unskilled labor, Smith said, which also narrows the pool of workers.
Both men suggest with the enhancement of government assistance during the pandemic is a factor.
“I have felt that a lot of it, if we are paying $10, $11 an hour, they can make more sitting at home watching TV,” Paris said. “There are unemployed people, and there are jobs available. I have a problem reconciling the two.”
Georgia is one of the states pulling back on the program, which will cut the amount of assistance.
Smith said one final factor may be the background check required by the county.
“An employee may be the greatest applicant in the world, but, if they can’t pass the background check, they get rejected,” he said.
When both men took their current positions, the road department was down to 16 people, Smith said. The county has been working to build the numbers back. The labor shortage is making the task harder.
“It’s a never-ending thing,” said Smith.