NBC 6’s Laura Rodriguez is in Miami, where she spoke to the Beacon Council and job seekers about how they are handling the issue.
After June 26, unemployed Floridians claiming benefits will stop receiving an extra $300 a week. As some make their way back to the workforce, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council says they are seeing a trend in increased wages.
After working as a flight attendant for more than 20 years, Justo Rodriguez lost his job during the pandemic.
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"I need to work!" said Rodriguez.
The 75-year-old says his age, coupled with not being tech-savvy, has been a challenge while on the job hunt.
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"It's very difficult for me to get into the internet and look for a job,” said Rodriguez.
Hundreds of job seekers like Rodriguez face hurdles. Some have had to develop new skill sets, and others are pivoting to different industries.
“It seems that right now there is a high demand from the workforce for flexibility, for increased wages, and safety in the workforce,” said James Kohnstamm, Executive Vice President for Economic Development with the Beacon Council.
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The jobs are out there, but business owners in many sectors are finding it increasingly difficult to fill open positions.
"I think every company is trying to understand how we bring back our workforce,” said Kohnstamm.
According to the Beacon Council, the unemployment rate pre-pandemic in Miami-Dade county was about 1.2%. In April 2021, it was 6.9% and in April 2020, it was 12%.
The economic development organization says high-paying jobs did not see as much of a fluctuation as low-wage positions during the pandemic.
“We are seeing companies respond to that with increased wages. So we're seeing about a 4% increase year over year of wage growth in Miami-Dade County,” said Kohnstamm.
One local website job seekers can look into is labormiami.org.
