Arizona pool company finds it hard to fill job openings ahead of summer months
PHOENIX - The heat is on in Arizona, and many people are ready to put their pool to good use. In 2021, however, people may have a hard time getting someone to service their pool, as officials with a Phoenix-area pool service company say the home services industry is struggling to find employees.
Chad Nikkel, who owns Aquaman Pools, has been in the business for several years. He says in all of his years of experience, he has never had this hard of a time to try and find people to work for his company.
"We offer 100% paid healthcare. The employee doesn’t pay any of it, we pay 100% of it. We offer four weeks paid vacation as an employee of Aquaman Pools. We have a $1,000 signing bonus," said Nikkel, listing off the benefits his company offers to workers.
Even with all of that, Nikkel says he can't find employees. He currently has six unfilled openings, and the amount of people applying is dismal.
"Pre-pandemic, we’re looking at 20 to 30 applications a week," said Nikkel. "Now, post-pandemic or current pandemic, we're looking closer to two. One or two, maybe three per week."
Aquaman Pools provides pool service, repair, and remodel. The company services well over 1,000 pools per week., and with the staffing shortage, Nikkel says it's hard to keep up.
"We do a pretty good job of managing it, but we have to throttle," said Nikkel. "We can’t get to that repair the next day like we used to be able to do. Our schedule is further and further into the future."
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