For the second time, Duluth's Perkins' Restaurants are holding a job fair, where Stuhr says, new workers will be interviewed and hired on the spot. They have other choices. And for the first time in a long time, we've also had hires that we've brought on that have continued to look to see if there's something a little bit more favorable, or whatever, they'd like to do. So we've also noticed that this year for the first time, we've also had a lot of turnover. In Duluth, the impact of a tight job market has just become evident over the last year.
Some employers have yet to feel the pinch.
Tom Williams is an assistant manager of Duluth's Cub Foods grocery store. Williams says recruiting and retaining workers is not nearly as difficult as it is for his counterparts at Cub Foods stores in the Twin Cities. They wish they had our problem. The Twin Cities' stores have a tremendous problem keeping help, because the people have so many choices. There are fewer 24-hour employers in the Duluth area than in the Twin Cities, where students can find a flexible work schedule.