Disney Confronts Tight Labor Market, Too

 by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 27, 2021

 

Walt Disney World might be the Most Magical Place on Earth, but it’s also part of a business. And like other businesses, the Walt Disney Company is confronting labor shortages.

Need evidence? Head over to the Disney Careers website, and you’ll find the company offering $1,000 hiring bonuses for housekeepers, cooks and chef assistants.

 

In terms of hourly pay, housekeepers start at $16, cooks at $18, and chef assistants at $19.

 

The labor shortage issue has been widely recognized and discussed. For example, it was noted in the latest Federal Reserve Beige Book, “It remained difficult for many firms to hire new workers, especially low-wage hourly workers, truck drivers, and skilled tradespeople. The lack of job candidates prevented some firms from increasing output and, less commonly, led some businesses to reduce their hours of operation. Overall, wage growth was moderate, and a growing number of firms offered signing bonuses and increased starting wages to attract and retain workers. Contacts expected that labor demand will remain strong, but supply constrained, in the months ahead.”

 

Leisure and hospitality labor shortages have been noted in particular.

 

As for causes, there is a great deal of speculation, including enhanced unemployment benefits, which are scheduled to expire in early September, making it less enticing for many workers to return to the labor force.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the  Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story.

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

 

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books  at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. 

 

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