The Detroit-based global pizza chain is just the latest company to ramp up recruiting efforts in the tight labor market
Little Caesars is offering new employees more than just pizza.
The Detroit-based global pizza chain has announced that those onboarded at stores in the Detroit area between Dec. 6 and Dec. 17 will receive a pair of club, suite or lower bowl tickets to any sporting or entertainment event of their choosing. Events include Detroit Red Wings games, Detroit Pistons games and concerts at Little Caesars Arena, as well as Detroit Tigers games at Comerica Park. Employees will be awarded the tickets after 60 days of employment.
"We're welcoming our newest hires in our hometown by giving them a VIP experience they'll never forget and – as the naming rights sponsor of Little Caesars Arena and a Detroit Tigers sponsor – one that is uniquely Little Caesars," Dave Scrivano, president and CEO of Little Caesar Enterprises, said in a press release.
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The pizza brand is one of many companies across the United States upping the ante to attract potential workers and retain existing personnel during the Great Resignation, in which a rapidly growing number of Americans have left their jobs.
Some 4.2 million workers quit in October, according to the Department of Labor. That follows a record high of 4.4 million quitting in September (3% of the US workforce) and 4.27 million quitting in August. Since the pandemic began, workers have been demanding higher wages, better conditions and more mobility. Among the industries hit the most by walkouts and strikes are leisure and hospitality, health services, retail and manufacturing.
Employers have been pushed into a corner where they have no choice but to compromise with workers who have taken the reins in the nation’s journey towards economic recovery.
“You’re seeing an economy where leaders have rushed to adapt by raising wages,” Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, told CNBC. “Followers slower to adapt, due to regulation or institutional arrangements, will be under enormous pressure to make changes to catch up. As they play catch-up, you’ll see more demand for workers and exciting outside opportunities for workers who can quit.”
The tight labor market is exacerbating the frustration amongst employers already dealing with unprecedented supply chain disruption and shipping delays during the holiday shopping season. As a result, companies are being forced to offer hiring bonuses, retirement benefits, tuition assistance and other perks not usually offer to lower-wage workers. “That huge additional demand is putting enormous strain on employers to expand their capacity in a constrained labor market,” Pollak said.
On the other hand, many employees who have remained loyal to their companies and have performed their duties remarkably are being rewarded.
The job-promotion rate from January through October is up 9%, according to LinkedIn Economic Graph research. As the economy has opened back up with COVID-19 restrictions loosened in many parts of the country, there’s been a significant need for new leaders and managers in companies in various industries.
It’s quite the turnaround from last year, when the job-promotion rate declined 7.4%, as measured from January through October. While the rise in promotions bodes well for 2022, especially for those seeking a pay increase to combat historic inflation and the subsequent escalating consumer prices, we still have a way to go before reaching pre-pandemic levels.
Since 2019, the promotion rate has advanced only 0.9%.
