Workforce shortage seen at Hilton Head Island job fair | Hilton Head Island Packet

The employers were there, but the potential employees were not.

More than 50 resorts and restaurants came out for the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association job fair held Tuesday at the Sonesta Resort on Hilton Head Island in the hopes of hiring for dozens of positions, but they were met with crickets.

About every 20 minutes, an applicant would enter the hotel conference room, where a throng of eager and needy employers descended upon them.

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Jack McNulty, the general manager of Local Pie, was looking for 10 new employees, for positions including hostesses, servers, cooks and delivery drivers for the pizza restaurant with locations on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton.

Pizza makers at Local Pie can make up to $17 an hour depending on experience, McNulty said, and servers on a good night can make $20 to $30 an hour.

Yet, as is the case with a majority of hospitality businesses in the region, Local Pie is having trouble finding workers, he said.

Nearly an hour after the event started, McNulty said no one had visited his booth for a job.

“Business is good in both places, but it is about to get busier and we need more people,” he said. “I have only seen two people walking through the event looking for jobs.”

Employers at empty booths joked about trying to steal employees from the Sonesta. They joked that fistfights were likely to break out over the few job seekers who showed up.

Nick Unangst, corporate chef and partner at SERG Restaurant Group, said it is always tough to find employees on Hilton Head, but things are looking especially difficult this year.

SERG runs a group of restaurants and bars in the region that includes Skull Creek Boathouse, The Black Marlin, One Hot Mama’s and Wise Guys.

“There is more pressure this year,” Unangst said.

He said federal immigration policies, which include a recent increase in arrests and difficulties in procuring visas needed for interns to work here, have contributed to the problem.

“When people came in for a job before and they had documents that looked authentic, we couldn’t question that employee,” Unangst said. “E-verify has created a vacuum and there is no solution yet.”

Other factors, such as a lack of affordable housing in the area and limited public transportation for potential workers, have also contributed to the dearth in job seekers, Unangst said.

SERG was hiring for about 50 positions Tuesday, he said. An hour into the job fair, though, and they hadn’t had any inquiries.

“You also take a chance on people you didn’t take a chance on before. It is a job seekers’ market.”

This was not lost on the job applicants who did make it to the fair.

Kent Zimmerman, who lives on Hilton Head, came to check out the competition. He said he has been working in the hospitality industry for more than nine years.

“I always go to job fairs to keep my pulse on the ground to see what is going on,” Zimmerman said. “The desperation from these people is a lot more than usual. The island is getting less and less ... prospective employees.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 4:23 PM.