Employers across America say that job candidates fail to show up for interviews.
According to some, as high as 90% of applicants don't show up for the scheduled interview.
Sometimes, applicants accept a job but don't show up to work or quit.
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Paul Horton, who was left with two kitchen staff, closed down his taco restaurant in September.
Horton claimed that he spent thousands advertising for jobs at Taco Crush, but that only 10% of applicants responded after he attempted to arrange an interview.
He said that only between 5% to 10% of those he had scheduled interviews with turned up.
Horton stated, "You can't choose any more." "You are basically hiring anybody who would show up."
Taco Crush is not the only one. In the US, other businesses reported that job candidates are failing to appear for interviews in spite of a rush to fill their staffing shortages.
According to some companies, the shortage was caused by staff refusing to work. However, staff claim they need better working conditions and pay if they are going to stay.
Insider was able to speak to businesses that said that as high as 90% of applicants didn't attend interviews. Some new hires also didn't show up on their first shift or quit within a few weeks.
The majority of employers stated that they don't know why there were no-shows and quick exits.
Hiking is not a good idea.
Jesse Hoover and Yolanda Garcia, owners of Cafe Elk Grove in Elk Grove California, told Insider they get "a lot of applicants" for job openings but that nine out of ten people don't show for interviews.
Hoover stated that he's had people accept the job, but not show up on the next day. It's basically a waste of our time.
Garcia stated that the cafe raised starting wages from $14 to $22 an hour, but they are still not showing up.
Hoover stated that "that still doesn't seem like it has helped much in terms of getting people actually to show up for interviews and then getting them to accept the job."
The situation is similar at a Denver chocolate restaurant, where there are only five employees, compared to 16 before the pandemic.
Insider was told by Phil Simonson that he raised wages from $11.75 an hour to $15 per hour, with tips in certain cases. He also introduced health benefits. However, half the interviewers don't show up.
Jonathan Bergstein, the owner of Maid to Sparkle in Richmond, Virginia said that he started offering bonuses for hiring between $200-300 in the hopes of getting more people to come to interviews.
Bergstein stated that some people made excuses such as family emergencies to avoid attending interviews. Bergstein thought that some people may have set up interviews to prove that they are applying for jobs that will allow them to claim unemployment benefits.
After being hired, workers often quit.
Mirna McCormack is having difficulty staffing her Korner Cafe in Lewisville, Texas. She stated that many candidates did not show up for interviews or quit within two weeks.
Gary Beggs is co-owner at Abba Consulting and Staffing in Texas. He also spoke out about the difficulty of keeping employees.
Insider was told by he that it takes about 10 applicants to find one who is truly interested in the job. He said that between 60% and 70% didn't attend interviews.
Beggs stated, "It's surprising how many of them no show on the first day," and that many people were applying passively to jobs they might not be interested in.
He said that electronic applications made it easy to apply for jobs. "People apply to jobs that they don't care about or aren’t qualified for."
