This big Bradenton-Sarasota shopping district has lots of jobs, and a way to fill them
With a critical shortage of workers at many businesses in the Bradenton-Sarasota area, University Town Center is doing something about it: hosting the largest job fair in its history.
The fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, is for one of the largest concentrations of retail shops, department stores, restaurants and fitness studios in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
“The Mall at UTC has previously hosted a few hiring fairs, but it was limited to mall tenants. This will be the first for the entire district,” said Julie Fanning, marketing director for Manatee County-based Benderson Development.
Free and open to the public, the hiring event will take place inside available retail space in the West District at UTC, between Michaels and Old Navy at 125 N. Cattlemen Road, Unit 101.
Job seekers will have the opportunity to meet with employers, learn about opportunities, and apply for full-time and part-time positions. People should bring copies of their résumé and two forms of identification for hiring paperwork.
Employers are expected to be offering positions for all skill levels.
Among the businesses scouting for new talent are Ford’s Garage, Selva Grill, Norman Love Confections, Chick-fil-A, F45 Training, H&M, Hollister Co., Homewood Suites, Journeys, Old Navy, Pandora, Paper Source, Starbucks, TeBella Tea Company, TJ Maxx, Tommy Bahama, Vera Bradley. For a full list, visit https://bit.ly/3gKf7fS.
Marc Brown, president of 23 Restaurant Services, which is opening a 300-seat Ford’s Garage restaurant at 295 N. Cattlemen Road in the University Town Center district, recently told the Bradenton Herald that after several weeks of recruiting, the company had hired about half of the 130 staff that it needed.
The staffing challenge stems from the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.
Stimulus money has made recruiting and retention challenging, Brown said.
“We are hearing from Chamber member employers that hiring is tough right now and certain industries have been hit harder than others. Our unemployment rate is back down to a low level which means the talent pipeline has tightened,” Jacki Dezelski, president and CEO of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce previously told the Herald.
“Statistics also tell us that a noticeable number of Floridians have left the workforce completely during the past year. The difficulty in finding employees is having a negative impact on businesses’ ability to grow and adapt — and even stay fully open, in some cases,” Dezelski said.
John Horne, owner of four Anna Maria Oyster Bar restaurants in Manatee County, said that he is operating with 83 fewer people than before the pandemic because he can’t find enough staff.
“Every industry right now is having difficulty. My vendors can’t get drivers, or warehouse pickers and loaders. We can’t get deliveries and our garbage wasn’t picked up at one of our restaurants for five days,” Horne previously said. “The school district is having trouble getting school bus drivers and is paying more than $15 a hour.”
