ORLANDO, Fla. — With Central Florida’s unemployment rate sitting around 6.5%, the jobs market is challenging for both employers and job seekers.

What You Need To Know

  •  Central Florida's unemployment rate is currently about 6.5%

  •  Despite that, business owners say they are having difficulty filling all their available positions

  • OrlandoJobs.com President Roger Lear says right now there are more jobs available than people to fill them

Across Central Florida, Firehouse Subs is looking for more than 150 employees across 40 plus locations. Scott Anthony owns over a dozen of the restaurants.

As soon as the lunch rush ends, Firehouse Franchisee Anthony will go from making sandwiches to finding people who want to make them.

“You know this year has been really unique,” he said while making a sub. “I think the service industry in general has had some challenge with finding people.”

Due to the Pandemic, several of the area’s annual Job Fairs have been canceled. Roger Lear, the president of the OrlandoJobs.com, says the traffic for job seekers is no where close to what it use to be.

“For the first time in 20 years there are more jobs than there are people,” Lear said.

Knowing how competitive the market is, Scott is now trying an in-store approach. Hoping he can bring those looking for a job directly to him with a three day in store hiring event.

“If you asked me 18 years ago if we would be doing this I may not have said yes,” Anthony said. “I think it is the time we are in.”

According to OrlandoJobs.com they have about 2,000 jobs currently listed. 

The job seeker has leverage according to Lear. He also said employers have to be more competitive now when it comes to flexible hours, starting pay, benefits, and a offer of a clean working environment. 

“Employers have to roll out the red carpet where they didn’t have to do that before,” Lear said. 

Day one of the Firehouse job fair has been slow, but Anthony feels optimistic.

“I think it’s going to work,” he said, waiting for potential job seekers to come in. “I think with the platforms we are advertising I think there will be a lot of people that want to work.”

The race to find workers is now heating up, time will tell if business owners will find the employees they need.

This event at Firehouse will last two more days from two in the afternoon until five. OrlandoJobs.com is hosting a virtual job fair May 18-19 which you have to register on their site for by May 17 to attend.