The Bureau of Labor and Statistics just came out with their March jobs report, and the numbers are showing an improvement in people who are choosing to quit.

We have been talking a lot in the past few months about what is being called “the great resignation,” or the huge number of people who resigned, rather than being fired or laid off. The movement has now seemed to have reached its peak, as around 178,000 less people decided to leave voluntarily in March. This brings the actual number below 800,000 currently.

Jobs Are Bouncing Back

On the actual job front, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6% which shows a steady decline in the first quarter of 2022.

Businesses also added more than 431,000 new jobs into the market. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics says many of these jobs are in the manufacturing sector, which has taken a hit in recent months. Retail and manufacturing jobs rose more than 80,000 just in March.

The numbers are a good sign for businesses because it shows a trend in job gains. This is the 15th straight month we have seen the job numbers increase.

We are also inching closer to pre-pandemic levels. We are now just 1.6 million jobs short of the mark we set in February 2020, before the pandemic took full effect.

What Does This Mean For Dealerships?

The good news for dealerships is that the workforce is starting to bounce back. These new numbers show that workers who quit are starting to look for jobs again.

While this process may be slow, there are some things you can do to make sure you attract these workers back.

First, Create an open and honest working environment and set up systems in place to remove some of the pressure on employees. Let potential workers know you are giving them the tools they need to succeed and to avoid any potential burnout in the future, since that is one of the main reasons why so many people left their previous jobs.

With current employees, make sure you establish a plan to make you and your employees happy. Listen to their concerns and find out where they need the most help. Are there simple things you can add like a texting platform, or a payment system that can take some of the burden off your employees?

Make sure your worker knows what to expect from you, and make sure the customer is aware of staffing issues, or the type of responsiveness they will get.

One of the best solutions to help streamline your workforce is to come up with a more automated system throughout your company. Texting is one of the best ways to limit employee workload, while still communicating with your customers.

You can set up a texting platform so people can use text-to-pay and get updated information on sales and service.

This will also help your staff reduce the time they spend on the phone and take some of the pressure off to get back to customers. Employees can set up automated responses, so they don’t have to be waiting by the phone all day.

This may not seem like a big deal, but we have found that around 89% percent of customers say they would rather interact with a business via text message than a phone call. By adopting a texting system, you are not only giving your employees some help, but you are also giving the customer what they want.

While the labor market is showing signs of improvement, we are not out of the woods. Keep looking for new and innovative ways to attract new employees as we head into the second quarter of 2022.

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