Local businesses face a range of struggles in the current economic climate. One problem a few business owners reported was a lack of experienced candidates for open positions.
CLOQUET — Carlton County isn’t exempt from the workforce shortages that are present across the state and country, with some business owners struggling to find experienced labor.
Ryan Lindstrom, co-owner of Carmen’s Bar & Restaurant, said he has seen a shortage of applicants, but also a drop in more qualified candidates.
“In general it is harder to find people in the kitchen,” he said. “Every owner I talk to, kitchen help is the hardest to find.”
Lindstrom said it is normally harder to find kitchen staff, but this year it has been amplified.
Carlton County currently has an unemployment rate of 4.5%, 1.5 percentage points higher than the state rate of 3%, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The local unemployment statistics for December 2022 show Carlton County has a labor force of 17,442, with 16,656 people currently employed.
The roles have reversed for Lindstrom and other business owners he has talked to, as he needs to be back in the kitchen rather than out front interacting with customers.
At Carmen’s, that does not stop at just the owners.
“Every one of my bartenders has gone back and been in the dish bin or been that extra hand,” he said. “One of my bar managers went from being a full-time bartender to working probably equal parts in the kitchen and in the bar.”