Yeap. All of this.
- In Durango, many restaurants are closed several days per week. They simply cannot find help.
- Service staff are moving out, due to low wages / high rent - if you can even find a rental.
- You can make $25 / hour washing dishes now. Signs are up that you can get a free beer by even walking in the door and chatting with management.
- Ski school pays (if I remember) $15.00 / hour for L2. Yes, the mtn is a much better environment than the kitchen. However if you need to male ends meet, $25 beats $15. And that is a $25 / hour with schedule that you can bank on - not piece work based on guest traffic flow.
Being engaged in the business community as a mentor, consultant, and investor, it is really interesting to watch the macro trend. Those businesses who treat employees as their most valued asset, and have a culture of vulnerability, open hard discussion, and courage do not have issues with employee retention. Those that have a toxic work environment build on armor, are failing. Natural selction in process - and I love it. It is a healthy cleansing process for the business ecosystem.
This does not put most of the ski hill managements in the US in a good position.