Ben Kaplan is at the pool. He gets $21 an hour to do it.
He's taking home a signing bonus, an incentive that businesses across industries have given to workers during the labor shortage. He could get a further $500 retention bonus later this summer.
Kaplan said he liked to swim. He said the chance to work as a lifeguard in Massachusetts gave him an opportunity to make money off of what he loves to do. He thinks the bonus is a good thing because the state needs more lifeguards.
It isn't the only one. The Parks and Recreation department in Austin, Texas, gave out a $1,250 bonus and the city of Phoenix gave out a $2,500 incentive. Governor Kathy Hochul of New York announced on June 22 that the state would be increasing pay by up to 34% to deal with the labor shortage at its pools.
A labor shortage is causing some pools to cut hours or temporarily close. Swim programs are affected by the shortage.
"The regional and national lifeguard shortage is real and our goal is to increase lifeguard coverage, incentivize qualified seasonal employees this summer and build a pipeline for year-round workers," saidRosa Escareo, the general superintendent of the Chicago Park District.
The lifeguard bonus has been increased to $600 and there is a referral bonus.
Retention and referral bonuses along with a path to permanent employment will hopefully attract qualified candidates to support our summer programming.
There are waterfronts in Massachusetts that need lifeguards.
In an interview with Insider in May, the acting commissioner of the Massachusetts Department ofConservation and Recreation said that bonuses were one of the tools used to increase pay.
Cooper said that they have had a good response from applicants who have come to them.
Some young job seekers may benefit from the bonuses.
We're surrounded by all this culture, like there's all these videos on TikTok of, 'Oh, what's your salary?' Kaplan made a statement. A signing bonus is important for a summer job.
The director of health and safety at the American Lifeguard Association told Insider that this was the worst year he had seen for the shortage of lifeguards. The shortage began around 20 years ago.
Baby boomers were building more complexes that had swimming pools.
He said that more beachfronts needed to have guarded beaches.
He said that the US relied on young workers.
"We didn't have the numbers of the youth coming into our population as to the number of baby boomers that were retiring and building these complexes and building the developments."
Fisher said that retirees and teachers could help with the lifeguard shortage. There could be other pools of talent looking to work that could help employers with their hiring difficulties.
The problem is the wages that we have been paying the lifeguards.
Fisher believes that the job market is a competitive one. Incentives are a good way to try to help overcome the shortage of medical professionals.
Signing and referral bonuses should keep going after this year, according to Fisher.
According to the economist of a payroll and human-resources platform for small and medium-size businesses, outside pools are helping employers address the labor shortage.
"On Gusto's platform, we're seeing teenage workers continue to step in and fill the gap during this economic recovery and be an attractive alternative source of workers for businesses who are struggling to navigate an unprecedentedly tight labor market," he said in a previous interview.
According to the American Lifeguard Association, a third of the country's pools could be closed due to budget cuts.
Fisher thinks we need to get the mentality that this is a big benefit to society. It's where the community can pool together, come down, see your neighbor, have a nice, safe environment, and beat the heat.
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