Jul. 15—Tony Stephens hired a young woman a few months ago to train as a sheet metal worker after he met her during one of his recruiting visits at a high school.

As training director at Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 24 in Dayton, he was excited to get her started. Then she disappeared.

"She went through the whole process and then she never showed up to work and won't return my calls," Stephens said.

He tried reaching out numerous times to check on her but said it's not uncommon for candidates to simply stop responding to his messages about a job.

"I can take the bad news, I just need the news," Stephens said. "If this isn't for you that's fine ... but let me know and I'll hire somebody else for the spot. As it is, I'm just kind of spinning around in circles."

Multiple local employers told the Dayton Daily News they have encountered similar struggles: applicants applying for jobs and either not responding to calls or not showing up for interviews. About 150 local companies attended a recent job fair and said they have hundreds of positions to fill but struggle to find candidates.

Just as many applicants are applying to learn sheet metal work as in the past, Stephens said, but there isn't as much follow through. He recently held interviews, and two applicants didn't show.

"People will just ghost me," he said.

Market favors applicants over employers

The Dayton region has an unemployment rate of 3.2%, according to the latest United States Bureau of Labor statistics. This time last year, it was at 5.2%. The online job board Indeed lists more than 31,000 job openings in the Dayton region.

Bryan Hunter, President and Founder of 937 Payroll, said the hiring market favors applicants with many jobs available and a limited amount of workers.

"Unemployment is lower than where we were in pre-COVID numbers and we have a tremendous amount of open positions," Hunter said.

937 Payroll provides human resources services like hiring and payroll to small businesses in the region. Disappearing applicants have always existed, Hunter said, but the frequency has increased. Technology is playing a significant role, he said.

"Used to back before Indeed got really popular and other job boards online got really popular, in the late 90s and early 2000s, how did you apply for a job? You probably physically walked into a job site, got an application and filled it out," Hunter said. "And that's how you applied and the number of jobs you could apply to when you did that were limited by the amount of time that you to be able to go out and apply for these jobs."

Employers are now making it easier for job seekers to apply online, and applicants can apply for many jobs with just a few clicks. This allows applicants to cast a wide net, but also for them to apply for jobs in which they're not very interested.

Hunter said adding pre-screening questions that make the applicant work a little harder can also make them more invested in the process.

"If it's a little bit harder to apply for my job, only the people who are extremely interested in the position are going to apply," Hunter said. "It's a balancing act."

Employers need to set themselves apart from their competition by selling what's best about working for them early in the process. And while paying more seems to be the quick fix, Hunter said it isn't always a sustainable solution.

Hiring issues in the region

Greater Old North Dayton Business Association President Barry Hall said companies he spoken with are having trouble finding candidates at all, even those who later disappear. Hall, who owns Champion Auto Service, said he can't find a qualified candidate for an open position he's had for months.

"I don't know where the workforce is, it used to be out there," Hall said.

He believes it's too easy to get by without a job and many people got comfortable not working during the pandemic.

"I think it's a sad situation for our whole country," Hall said.

Getting candidates into jobs here has been a difficult task for several years, said Doug Barry, President of BARRYSTAFF.

It started when strong tornadoes hit the area in May 2019 and some companies shut down and carried into the pandemic, when many people found themselves out of work. But now companies are looking again and having trouble finding employees.

"We knew there was going to be a big shortage coming because Baby Boomers retiring," Barry said. "That's been something that's been on the radar for a long period of time."

The disappearance of applicants could be happening for multiple reasons. Some may need to fill a requirement for unemployment to show they are looking for work when they're really not. There is also a segment of the population still worried about COVID-19, Barry said.

"We've been doing this for 42 years and I can tell you there's never been a time in history where there's been a perfect number of job openings for the perfect number of people looking for work," he said. "It's always one way or another. If you want to look back historically, I don't know if we've ever seen it to this extent, but it's going to turn back around again. It always does."

What job seekers should know

While there are many jobs available, it's still never a good idea to stop responding to an employer.

"You never know what repercussion that could have and what if you want to come back and apply for that job down the road. You've burned that bridge with that specific employer," Hunter said.

Hunter said while the conversation can feel awkward, employers would rather know where they stand and can understand when a potential employee decides to go in a different direction. Staying in contact also gives employers the opportunity to counter another company's offer.

"Communication and transparency is always the best method," Hunter said. "If you as an applicant or as an employer don't know how to handle a situation, just be transparent and over communicate and typically that solves everything."

Barry said because the hiring market is fluid, people should consider looking for work now.

"The big things right now is if people are cautious or unsure whether they want to get into the work force, now is the time to do it," Barry said. "Wages are high, it's really an employee market. If you're wanting to get back into work, now is the time to get back to work."

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