 and welcome to Restaurants Hawaiʻi. I am your host, Shera Matsuoka, the executive director of Hawaiʻi Restaurant Association here on Think Tech Hawaiʻi. And today we are having a great conversation and as Hawaiʻi's businesses are still dealing with staffing shortages and the restaurant community is no exception. You know we're all looking for employees and according to research done by the National Restaurant Association, half of the restaurant operators believe that recruiting and retaining employees will be their biggest challenge through the rest of this year and perhaps through next year. So today we're having a great conversation and another resource for our restaurants, the American Job Center and I'd like to bring on Mark, hey Mark, Mark Minard who is the business services coordinator at American Job Center. Hey Mark. Hi, Shera, how are you? Great, do you want to tell them a little bit about yourself? Great, yes, thank you. First of all, thanks for having me on. Really appreciate you folks highlighting the American Job Center. The American Job Center, basically what we do is we try to match up job seekers with employers. That's our main mission here. What I specifically do is I work with the various businesses to try to make that connection. So we offer one of the resources in trying to connect job seekers with the business but also for the business we do other services and we'll get into this a little bit. I think when our conversation is such as job fairs, helping businesses advertise for their open positions and really trying to recruit the best possible candidates. Thank you. Well, you know, my husband and I always have this conversation is where are all the employees? And I just pulled up the Census Bureau statistics of the Hawaii population that has been declining the last few years. So with our population declining, that even gives us a smaller pool of employees that are potential employees for our restaurants. So if our population is declining and it says 0.7% or 10,358 less people from the previous years and we can see a constant decline, Oahu's population was actually the highest in this report while Hawaii Island and Kaua'i Island, their population of residents increased but on Oahu, our population went down. So the American Job Center, their resource and what services they provide is so wonderful. I mean, just for any business, we're not even specific to restaurants today but any business that's looking for employees, the American Job Center is on Oahu, in Hilo, Maui, and Kaua'i. So Mark, let's first talk about the services that you provide businesses. And one of the services I want to touch upon is the HigherNetHawaii.com. Can you share a little bit of how HigherNetHawaii.com works? Sure. So HigherNet Hawaii is a site where we have a database of people who are registered into that website. So anybody who is actually applying for unemployment is required to register into HigherNet Hawaii. They're required to give all their personal information and then also a resume. It also is a website where businesses can also register in the system and then they can go ahead and post for open positions that they have and also what it does, it allows them to actually find appropriate candidates by searching for different job skills and skill sets that they might have. That's great, Mark. And what we were talking about earlier, Mark and I, was like a lot of businesses forget that this is a resource for them where they not only can post but they also can search candidates. And we were discussing how even the American Job Center does hiring events. Mark, you want to share a little bit about how a business could contact you about doing a hiring event? Sure. So in the past, we've done your typical hiring events where we have several businesses come and we've had up to 30 businesses come and we use the, we're located actually at the adult cannery. So if people are familiar, there's adult theaters and then there's the Komokai ballroom. So last year we had our biggest event that we had was during the pandemic and it was one of the only in-person hiring events that we had. So we've done those traditionally. There are other places that do similar job hiring events, job fairs. But what we really want to focus on is on the individual businesses themselves. So recently we've taken the approach of actually working one-on-one with businesses and to have hiring events for that specific business. So we've done, for example, we've done it with Zippies. We've done it with some vendors out in the airport. We are actually going to have a hiring event this coming Friday from 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock with a specific hiring event for Waihata. And so what we want to do is we want to work, really build that relationship, that one-on-one relationship with the business so that we're able to help one is to understand what their need is and what kind of employee that they're looking for. And then with the help of the business, help promote that business, get the word out that, hey, we're having a hiring event. These are the types of individuals that we're looking for. Come on down to the American Job Center, where you can meet the staff there and actually apply for those positions. So that's really the thing that we're focusing on is that one-on-one relationship with the business. Again, so that we have a really good understanding of what their need is. Very good, Mark. And everyone's burning question is going to be, what is the fee to have American Job Center assist them with a job there at their business? Yeah, so the great news is that we're a free service. So anybody who comes to visit us and needs our assistance anyway, there is absolutely no cost to them, no out-of-pocket costs whatsoever. And that's going to be music to the business's ears. We need resources and the reason we're having this conversation today is because, like I said earlier, many businesses may have forgotten that American Job Center is a great resource. And even if there's a person out there who knows a potential employee, a candidate, somebody who's looking for a position, they also provide lots of services for those people. So this would be our businesses and restaurants pool of candidates and how the American Job Center helps them is by all these resources. So, Mark, let's start off at the very top, which is, you know, you all have different services that you provide people who are looking to get back into gainful employment. So we can start off with the, should we start with the youth services? Sure. You know, Cheryl, as you were mentioning, the current situation out there with the job situation is, you know, we have all these people who are unemployed, right? And then we have all these businesses who are looking for positions. So ideally, or technically, that equation should work, right? You have people looking for jobs, you have employers hiring. So that should work. Unfortunately, what we've seen not only here in Hawaii, but also nationwide is a, is, business is really struggling to find employee, right? And we're no different. And, you know, we hear the same story from across all business sectors. You know, we call people and they don't show up for interviews or they might show up for the interview, but they don't show up for the first day. We even had, you know, a business tell us that, you know, we onboarded them. They were ready to start, you know, as a full-fledged employee for the first day, and they just never showed up. So, you know, there's many different challenges. And, you know, one thing I think that we, that we do advise businesses on is that, you know, because of the situation that we're in, we really need to look at other employment pools and to see where else can you, can you hunt for a potential employee? And so one of those areas are youth population. So one of the programs that we have here is our youth services program, the work Hawaii youth services, who primarily are helping young people who, for whatever reason, haven't been able to, you know, finish high school and get their diploma. So we offer them an opportunity to get their high school, their GED. But it's not only just the academic component that we're, we focus on. We really want to lay out a career path for the young person. So along with, you know, getting their GED, we do work-based learning workshops. We offer occupational trainings. In the youth services, we actually offer four tracks. One is in construction, one is in customer service, health care, and in office administration technology. And so those young people are able to choose from one of those occupational industries, obtain a certificate, a credential. We're partnered with, with our local community colleges to have instructors come in. And then with a construction component, actually we're partnered with BIA, which is a pre-apprenticeship. So after they go through this training, they're able to come away with a credential, which is something that is, you know, really valuable when you're putting on a resume. And then once they've gone through an occupational training, then we can also offer them a work experience. So we pair them up with a job site where they can practice those soft skills that we teach here in the classroom, and then to actually get some hands-on experience, right, for that first job, for them to, you know, have something to put on a resume, also to have some good references, which is really important, as we all know. And that's also an opportunity for businesses to partner with us. We're always looking for new job sites as work experience sites. And it's also a great way to potentially get a great candidate for a position, because what can happen a lot of times is they'll come on board as a work experience participant. And then at the end of their training, since they're now, you know, they've been with you for a while, and they kind of know the ropes, and you've gotten a chance to see them, see if they're, you know, they're a good fit for you or not. You know, at the end of their training, if you have an open position, it'd be a great way for you to fill in those spots. And we just spoke about earlier is also the skill assessment survey that helps them identify. So you want to cover that a little bit? So on hiring at Hawaii, there is, there's different things on there, on hiring it that you're, that an employer can use and also a potential employee. So when they're registering for unemployment, there is skills assessments that are on hiring at Hawaii, which will kind of test you on, on your abilities or not really your abilities, but your, what are your, what is your skill set? And what is your aptitude, right? So, you know, it'll take you through a battery of tests, and then at the end, it'll kind of give you a job, a hate, you know, based on your answers, you might be a good fit for, and it'll give you a list of different industries and different types of jobs. And I think it's just a great tool to try to figure out, you know, you know, what, what your potential path like. And I think that's so valuable to know where your strengths are, because what you may be interested in, and you find out your strength, it could be a whole area that you didn't realize. Then another resource that the American Job Center also has is free lap use of laptops. And Mark, do you want to cover that a little bit? Only because what I heard was when schools, you know, wrapped up in schools done right now, it's their summer break. Many of the students don't have access to laptops, if they already own one in their home. So, you know, for them to even search for a job or even if they wanted to update a resume, by the way, everyone listening, if you do know of a candidate that is looking for a position, you know, we don't require resumes. If you know of somebody, just have them reach out to me at info at hawaiirestaurant.org. And we try to fit the candidate in their area where they live, because many of them even need to use public transportation. So, I'm pretty sure that in every neighborhood, there's a restaurant nearby. So we always try to fit the candidate with that community that they live in. So you want to touch a little bit about the laptop use? Sure. So at the American Job Center, we have a resource center, which is again, it's open to the public, free of charge. Anybody can come in and use them. And we have laptop stations. We have currently at least 13 laptop stations where anybody who if they're, you know, looking to go online and let's say, you know, go on Indeed or one of these other job search engines, you know, they're able to come in and do job search, register for higher net, you know, we have staff here to help them with that. If they're looking to apply for a job, let's say that, you know, a lot of most right applications right now are online. So if a person doesn't have to be young person, it could be anybody, right? A lot of people may not have access to these resources can come in and then use our, you know, our equipment to do that application, fill out those applications. And the other great thing about a resource center is not only do we, you know, offer these laptops and equipment, but, you know, if people are, you know, if they're not too sure about their resume, or they're not too sure about, you know, going on an interview, and they want to maybe brush up on some interviewing skills, maybe it's been a while since they've been on an interview. We have staff here who are fully prepared to help them with that. We have workshops that we do, you know, to help people. Again, you know, if it's with the resume, you know, we go over the different types of resume, you know, how do you, you know, really want to tailor a resume to the job, right? You don't just want to have a generic resume that you put out there, you know, and then for interviewing, right, if you want to go through some interviewing skills, we have staff here that we do a workshop to, you know, kind of go over those, maybe some of those typical questions, you know, how do you answer, you know, tell me a little bit about yourself, which is, sounds like an easy question, but it can be very difficult, right? Sometimes you don't know what to say. So we, you know, with that, the free resources that we have there with the laptops, we also have that, also that one-on-one resource. And let's also share about the access to translators. Mark, you speak which language? I'm fluent in Japanese. Yeah, I'm embarrassed because I'm full Japanese and I don't speak the language, but you do have access to translators. So for those of you who are employers, you know, in English is your second language, or if you're looking for new employment and English is not your first language, you know, they have access to translators at the American Job Center, correct Mark? Yes, we have resources available to us where we can, you know, find people who can help us with either, you know, it can be over the phone. A lot of times it is over the phone translation, but if somebody wants to come in in person, as long as they give us a little bit of lead time, we're able to find people that can come in and help us with translation services. And it's all about partnerships too. We use other resources with our different business partners that might have access to people who speak other languages. I know, Cheryl, that you have a wide variety of people who speak different languages with all the different restaurants and ethnic restaurants, so you're a great partner always. Yes, I do. So every single language you can imagine, including all the South Pacific Islands, we have every language we can translate at the Hawaii Restaurant Association. And then there's another pool of candidates, if they are not aware of the American Job Centers. Hey, Mark, let's talk about individuals that have disabilities. Sure, you know, as I kind of touched upon, or, you know, really going out there and looking at those different, let's say non-traditional employment pools, and what Re-Youth was one that I mentioned, persons with disabilities is another. When the word disability comes up, you know, unfortunately, we're all human, so we have these unconscious biases, right? So when we hear that word, you know, the immediate thing I think a lot of people might think of is, oh, well, you know, what is the accommodation that I might have to make or is it something that I'm even able to make for an individual? But, you know, a lot of these people who are looking for that first job or just an opportunity can be your best candidates because they're really looking for that, just that chance, that opportunity to work, right? So they tend to be the most loyal, the most hard-working. So it's a great talent pool to kind of find somebody specific for your position. You're so true. In one of my restaurants, we had a very loyal person. That person came to work on time every day. It didn't matter when raining, storming, that person showed up, and that person worked in the kitchen and was very, very dependable and reliable. And sometimes, as you mentioned, right, as long as we understand what their needs are, we can all work together because we're all human, as you mentioned. So yes, that's a huge pool that I think too, it would be a great pool to tap into. The other pool, Mark, that we discussed is senior citizens. Yep. So, you know, we have our youth on one end and then we also have our senior citizens on the other. So, you know, we see a lot of individuals who come in who maybe have been retired for a little bit and are looking to maybe start, maybe not so much a full-time second career, but something part-time to kind of, you know, fill in the time. But we also do have some senior citizens who are coming in or looking to maybe start something new, try something new. So, there's different programs that we have where we can provide services. One is called a CSEP program where they place the individual in a work site where they get paid to stipend. And so, again, they're able to report to work. And, you know, for those who are, again, looking to maybe fill in some time, some spare time, it's a way for them to earn some income. You know, the other service that we provide across, you know, not just for seniors, but for everybody is also for trainings, right? As long as they meet our eligibility requirement, there's literally hundreds of different kinds of trainings that we can provide for. Again, with our partnerships with the community colleges and other training providers, you know, anything from meat cutter to, you know, give your CNA to your CDL if you're looking to drive a truck, right? There's literally hundreds of different kinds of trainings that we're able to support. And, you know, we can provide tuition up to $4,000 actually for you to get certified or get credentialed in some of these training. And for me, when I speak to the seniors that are looking to get back into the workforce, if anything, the pandemic taught us, you know, the isolation. It's so lonely and that they need that social interaction. So, you know, I told them at the seniors that I was speaking to, which is actually, you know, my classmates are all retired and they say, you know, even a hostess or a host or even, you know, being social again would be so welcome for them. So, again, that's another employment pool that we need to think about and to tap into. The other pool that we want to discuss also is our homeless population, Mark. Right. So, we do also have people who are experiencing homelessness. So, we also do provide services to help those who are looking to get housing. So, along with that housing piece, though, goes hand in hand is employment because part of the eligibility requirements in order for them to be able to help them with rent and finding a place to live is to be employed. Right. So, it goes hand in hand then in what we do here at the American Job Center. So, you know, those are also a pool of people who are really looking for an opportunity. Right. And, you know, I think that that goes across the board of what we're talking about, you know, the our typical clients that we see that are coming in are really people who are looking for jobs. Right. They're not just people who, and unfortunately, I think a lot of businesses might experience this is that, you know, when people apply for positions, a lot of times they're just kind of going through the motions, right, because that it's a requirement that that unemployment, right, that you look for a job or at least three jobs per week. So, a lot of times, you know, and we get this story a lot from all the businesses that, you know, we get these resumes and inquiries, but we call and call, we don't get a call back. So, unfortunately, I think that that might be the case where people are just kind of going through the motions. But the people who are actually coming in and using our resources and coming to seek assistance with us are actual people who are looking for jobs. So, they're the people who are, you know, they're ready to work, they're wanting to work. So, and that's, you know, that's where we can really, I think, try to match up, you know, appropriate candidates with positions, just because, you know, the people who are coming in to see us and who are talking to us are people who are actually looking for jobs. Thank you, Mark. And I'm getting the five minute warning. Is there anything else that you want to close with? Any message out there? Do you want to give them your phone number to your office and email address before we wrap this up? Sure. You know, I would say, you know, I said it a little bit earlier, it's really about relationships. I'm sure you know this more than anybody. I think it's all about, you know, the relationships that they form with not only your customers, right, but with your internal customers, your external customers, the partnerships that you have with, you know, training providers and likewise, you know, with the organizations like ours. So, you know, I really would like to just put the word out there that we're always looking forward for new partnerships. And any way that we can help, again, you know, help a business with finding that right employee or even with other services, you know, there's a lot of other things that we do here at the American Job Center to help businesses with, you know, for example, when we're talking about business that might, but let's say that they need to do a layoff or they're going to be closing, right? We have what we call rapid response service, where we can help those employees try to transition maybe into some of those trainings that we're talking about, or maybe into another job, help them with the hiring process or the unemployment registration process. You know, the job fairs is the other thing that I was talking about. Or even, for example, if businesses are having trouble, let's say with, you know, let's say a small business is having trouble with their accounting, that their practice is very maybe a lot of small businesses, you know, can't afford, you know, to hire somebody to keep the books. You know, there are ways that we can help through that rapid response. It's called the offer version is to maybe help that business, you know, call in a consultant and maybe get them trained in the right, you know, ways to, you know, do their accounting so that their business is stronger, right? So, you know, it's not only the things that we talked about today, but there's definitely other ways that we can help businesses. And there's probably ways that we haven't even talked or even thought about. And it's about having that conversation and building those relationships and finding those new ways to help that I think is really our strong point, is because we have individuals here that are willing to make those connections. And we've, and you've been a great partner to the Hawaii Restaurant Association, Mark. Thank you always for reaching out to me and inviting us to all these opportunities where we can find employees. So we appreciate all of the support that American Job Center and Mark are doing. So in closing everyone again, there's so many resources out there American Job Center is a great resource for all of the restaurants and businesses to find employees as we struggle right now with the lack of job, the lack of employees. And again, if you have any questions, please give me a call or email me at info at HawaiiRestaurant.org. Again, I'm Cheryl Matsuoka, the Executive Director of the Hawaii Restaurant Association, the voice of Hawaii's restaurant and food service industry. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and donate to us at thinktechhawaii.com. Mahalo.