MARSHALL — Jen Griebel received only one application this year when she advertised for a part-time store assistant at her downtown gift shop called Nettie’s, but one was all she needed.
She hired Tiffanie Downing, who is entering her junior year at Marshall High School. Downing has a variety of duties that relate to merchandise and customers.
“I was lucky to find Tiffanie,” Griebel said. “She’s a great assistant. She definitely wants to work, and always shows enthusiasm.”
Griebel said she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hire anyone because of the worker shortage that’s affected the Marshall area and many other locations.
Currently more than a dozen local employers are advertising for workers. The shortage took shape as the recovery from the COVID pandemic outpaced the supply of people looking for jobs.
“I definitely needed an assistant last spring,” Griebel said. “I would have either had to miss my son’s baseball games or cut back on my hours at the store. I would have gone to the games because being a mother is my first priority, but when Tiffanie came along I didn’t have to cut back.”
She said Downing’s help was also very important this summer during a location change. Nettie’s opened for business last week in its new location on West Main Street after being located for several years in a smaller space on North Third Street.
Downing said she applied to work at Nettie’s after being a frequent customer. Nettie’s specializes in gift items, some of which are made in the back work center of the store.
“This is a place where I definitely wanted to work,” she said. “I like my boss and I like the environment of the store. We have many great customers.”
This fall the work schedule is being structured around Downing’s sports events. As the manager of the Marshall Tiger high school volleyball team, she attends every match and practice.
She’s undecided about what she might want to do for a career. Her favorite class in high school is math, and her job has led her to think about possibilities that relate to the business world.
“By working at a downtown store, I’m finding out what it would be like to someday run my own business,” Downing said. “It’s something I might consider.”
The current worker shortage is opening additional doors for teenagers who want employment opportunities, according to Minnesota Workforce Center youth employment specialist Renae Jenniges.
She said teens have more choices than usual as to where they apply. Many teen job seekers find job opportunities that tie in with potential career interests.
“Teenagers have an opportunity with the worker shortage,” Jenniges said. “They’re helping to fill a void. Many of them get jobs that might go to adults if the job market was more competitive.”
JIM MUCHLINSKI
