Staffing top of mind for Capital Region business leaders

Capital Region businesses are eager for people to head back to work.

The heads of several area chambers of commerce and convention and tourism bureaus shared what’s on their minds as we head into 2022, and it’ll come as no surprise that staffing is at the top of the list.

It’s been a challenging year for area businesses as they’ve struggled to fill open positions. Hotels, restaurants, stores and attractions have had to limit their hours, or even close completely some days.

During a Zoom conversation with leaders of area chambers of commerce and convention and tourism bureaus, nearly all of them identify staffing as the biggest challenge heading into 2022.

In Greene County, there are 3,000 jobs available right now, but the chamber president says there’s not affordable housing available for people who’d fill them.

In Albany, it’s a double whammy of supply chain and staffing shortages.

"We have hotel managers who are manning the front desks, and then find out that Sysco doesn’t have a driver to get the food to the hotel, so they can serve breakfast. So they’re getting in their personal car, going and picking up the food, then nobody’s at the front desk, they’re not able to take the bookings. It just causes this exponential problem," said Jill Delaney, the president and CEO of Discover Albany.

Learn about how one chamber of commerce identifies the legal cannabis sales rollout as its biggest challenge by watching the video of Mark Mulholland’s story.