As the economy recovers from the shutdown that happened early in the pandemic, there are plenty of jobs available with good pay. The problem is, many people decided not to go back to work and businesses are still struggling to find workers at pretty much every type of job, The City of Garnett had a tough time filling vacant police officer posts prior to COVID, but midway through 2021 the City authorized another major pay raise as well as a hiring bonus for City police recruits which forced County Commissioners to follow suit with a raise for County Sheriff’s deputies in, what Anderson County Sheriff Vern Valentine feared become a bidding war for officers, between City and County positions. County Commissioners passed an across-the-board pay increase for all County employees of $2.00 per hour, after several office positions at the Courthouse went unstaffed and efforts to hire truck drivers in the Road Department and landfill were unsuccessful.
Another area hard hit was the health care industry. Nurses, tired from a year of COVID, stepped out of the profession. Saint Luke’s Hospitals in Garnett and Iola received $47,000 and $99,000, respectively, in retention pay from a state program.
Several area restaurants were forced to close as wait staff and kitchen workers were slow to come back to work. Garnett’s Chinese restaurant moved to carry-out only and, at present has no plant to return to dining room service.
