BRYAN, Texas — By the end of April 20-21, job openings rose to an unprecedented 9.3 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While there is no shortage of work around the Brazos Valley, there does appear to be a shortage of workers. And local small businesses are feeling the pressure.
Part owner Carolyn Rodriguez Benavides says it's a problem that's being seen everywhere.
“You can go all up Texas Avenue and you can see everybody is looking to hire,” Rodriguez Benavides Said. “ We’ve been trying to hire but right now there are not enough people that wanna work.”
Casa Rodriguez is a downtown Bryan staple. It's been serving the Brazos valley great food for more than 40 years, but while customers are coming back as we come out of the pandemic, the workers are hard to find.
The restaurant even had t-shirts made. Asking customers to be patient while they are short-staffed.
“Not just us but a lot of restaurants that have that problem of not getting enough help,” Rodriguez Benavides said. “Thank the god lord the clientele are coming back but sometimes we don’t have enough help.”
Rodriguez Benavides says she even allows employees to bring in their children due to a shortage of babysitters.
Longtime customer Justina Herklotz has not been to Casa Rodriguez since the pandemic started and she is happy to be back.
“I haven’t been here in a long time. My husband, Darrelle, and I used to come here a lot and my son loves their green salsa.”
If you’d like to check out Casa Rodriguez, they are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on North Bryan Avenue in Downtown Bryan.