The New York State Fair Is Having A huge Hiring Crisis

The Great New York State Fair is back on for 2021, with a great line-up of classic rock shows for the entire 18-day-run. The midway is shaping up and the fair food is ready to fry, but there's a problem looming overhead. Will there be enough workers this year?

The state fair is a huge employer in the state. It takes about 6,000 workers to pull off the 18-day event. Staffing agency,  C.R. Fletcher and Associates, says that staffing in any industry is really tough right now and the hospitality industry has been especially hard hit.

Some familiar fair vendors have had to pull out of this year's state fair because they don't have the staff to be there for the entire 18-day event.

So, what should the state fair, and other employers be doing to attract more workers? It's about pay mostly right now. Potential employees are holding out for better wages and opportunities that weren't there before the pandemic.

In the past, most workers at the Great New York State Fair made between  $12 to $15 an hour. Now, the state fair may need to plan to pay $16 to $18 or more this year. In addition, offering some kind of bonus. They might offer a sign-on bonus or even a completion bonus that is paid after the state fair has concluded.

Owner of Dinosaur BBQ, John Stage has pulled out of the New York State Fair this year and told www.upny.com,  “Frankly I wouldn’t have the people to run a stand at the Fair for 18 days,” Dinosaur owner John Stage said last week. “We have enough people to run our restaurants, but not enough to do something else, especially something this big.”

If you'd like to look into employment opportunities at the New York State Fair you can find them HERE.