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The Scoop on Staffing Services By Jennifer Poff Cooper Bright Services finds that a major player locally in the worker sourcing business is “riding the post-COVID wave.” “There’s not a shortage of jobs — but a shortage of people,” said Durmon Coates, Vice President of Sales and Operations for Bright Services, a fullservice regional staffing company. Coates, who works out of the Roanoke office, said that COVID-19 caused a scarcity of workers. People were afraid to go to a place of employment for fear of contracting the virus, or were possibly staying home collecting
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unemployment benefits that outweighed their earnings. The job market bottomed out in March 2020, said Coates, losing 50% of its growth. Then manufacturing started to pick up. COVID actually created emergent industries, such as a company that went from making textiles to producing masks. In addition to the huge demand for workers
