"Hey Steve, this is Mr. Joe over here at Big Eats. Man, I have a problem and I need to pick your brain. I can’t find enough applicants and hire enough employees to fill the openings I have at my stores. I even had to close down the store over on 42nd Street one day last week because I could not find employees to work the evening shift. Overtime is killing me! Even when I offer overtime hours to my employees, they don’t want to work it. I really need help. Got any suggestions?"

Yes, indeed—the labor market is tight. And with the nationwide unemployment rate below 4 percent, 263,000 new jobs created in April 2019, and a sizzling economy, the labor market is likely to get even tighter. This is especially true for the hospitality industry, which has traditionally relied upon a steady stream of lower-skilled and younger applicants eager to enter into the job market. In fact, the National Restaurant Association predicts that jobs in the food service industry will top 15 million in 2019, and lists recruiting and retaining employees among the top challenges for operators.