BUTTE — Pass by any business in Butte and you’re bound to see a hiring sign as many businesses in the Mining City continue to struggle with hiring shortages.
“We have a good crew now, but we certainly need more people, so I’m working these folks to death sometimes because we don’t have enough help,” said Pork Chop John’s Owner Ed Orizotti.
The company Spherion in Butte connects businesses with employees and admits it’s a challenging job at times.
“I think it’s a problem, not only local, but within the nation. Manpower is an issue,” said Spherion Co-owner Lorena Wallace.
Pork Chop John’s in Butte is famous for its pork chop sandwich and has to manage a busy lunch rush with a skeleton crew. The owner says the manpower shortage started with the pandemic two years ago.
“I’ve worked pretty much worked every day since 2020, so it’s one of those things, it’s harder on the owners, you know, so it’s harder on everybody that you don’t have reliable staff,” said Orizotti.
Some say there’s a cultural shift in the way the younger generation views work life.
“They value flexibility, they value mental health, a positive work environment, they think more of a positive work culture than we did before, maybe, in our younger years,” said Wallace.
Do you put a lot of hours in?
“Yes, yes, yesterday I actually worked double, but it was fine, it was good. I love the customers that come up here, I really appreciate them,” said Pork Chop John’s employee Paige Burrow.
“A lot of people work from home now, and so I think a lot of people that work from home don’t want to come out of their house to get a job,” said Orizotti.
Those in the hiring business believe this will eventually work itself out.
“I think that eventually, we will come to a happy medium where the candidate will understand that they need a job, they need to work, they need to earn a living and the employees will understand that they need to have a place that people want to come to work to,” said Spherion co-owner Jimmy Wallace.
