By Nora Edinger, For The Intelligencer
WHEELING, W.Va. — The data is still too raw to be sure, but anecdotal evidence suggests that — at least locally — the Great Resignation of 2021 is more like the opportunity of a lifetime for some workers.
“Every position that you could possibly think of has openings right now,” said Melissa Burke of IC Staffing Solutions, a recruiting agency with offices in Wheeling, Cambridge, Ohio and Washington, Pennsylvania.
“We see people leaving for $1 more an hour,” said Conishia Kusic, who recruits for the same company. “If the opportunity’s open and they hear it, they want to be a part of it.”
That might mean a retail worker leaving for a lower-level healthcare job, they explained. Or, a fast-food worker moving into a production/manufacturing position — that might be paying as much as $17 an hour.
Early statistics suggest such moves up are at least one element of an employment sea change that began in April 2021, just as COVID-19 vaccinations became widely available. …