Isn't it ironic that after months of trying to persuade customers to return to the shops, they are now responding in droves only for businesses having a nightmare to find enough staff to service them!

The effects of the covid pandemic are manifold, and have affected every sector of business in different ways, but no more so now than in staff recruitment.

In my work, I help business owners to market their business to promote their profile and gain more customers, but getting and keeping reliable staff to deliver their services is fundamental to their success.

Now, I don't want this to be a 'doom and gloom' blog article, but it's true that over the past weeks, I have seen well established businesses streamlining their services, reducing their opening hours or at worse sadly 'close' because of staff shortages, and now, with some young temporary empoyees returning to college/university, the situation is getting worse.

We've all seen stock shortages in the supermarkets and independent shops - due to staff shortage, lack of lorry drivers and in some cases supply difficulties caused by the effects of brexit.

So why is this happening - what has caused the situation?

During the lockdowns, many people were furloughed from their regular employment which in itself caused anxiety and a feeling of insecurity. Some have now found it difficult to return to work after the layoff, feeling it was too soon and 'unsafe' to mix with fellow colleagues or with the general public. Others, particularly those employed in the health and public services' sectors worked in a highly stressful environment - 'burning out' and understandably deciding to take some leave, or look for a career change for the sake of their own health.

All of these reasons, and probably several others, while plausible have had a 'knock on' effect and contributed to a nationwide problem of supplying the general public with their 'normal' services.

So, if you are looking for work, either part time or full time, this is probably the best time to secure an interview and with suitable skills and the right personality there are many opportunities in various sectors to choose from.

If you are good with customers with a polite and helpful nature, there are many openings in the hospitality sector in particular. Maybe you've been out of work for a while, and need some encouragement to get out again, this might be the perfect time to take that leap of faith.

At the time of writing, these are just a few various local employment opportunities:

The Black Horse, Foxton (bar, kitchen and cafe) - Contact Claire: 01858 545250

The Swan, Braybrooke (bar, restaurant, kitchen, front of house) - contact: Cerys: 01858 462754

The Langton Greenhouse Cafe & Garden Centre, East Langton - Contact Steph: 01858 545819

Mobile Doc Gadgets Centre, Market Harborough - (customer service) - contact Arif: 01858 289265

There is no doubt that with the current employment situation, there is a good opportunity like rarely before to secure a possible life changing job in your choice of sector, so I encourage you to call or call in to make some enquiries.

Prepare well, learn about the business if you can beforehand and prepare some good questions to create a good first impression.

Good luck!

Simon, The Bestof Market Harborough