Sierra Vista, Arizona — Cochise County has over 1,200 jobs that need to be filled.

Jobs in education, healthcare and information technology are the most popular, but jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industries have increased in recent months.

“Restaurant is one of the hardest jobs out there. It’s about dealing with people,” said Eric Grisham, business services director for Arizona at Work. And now people can be very unthankful (and) ungrateful. One wrong move and it will be posted on social media. ”

Marcelo Carrillo, Jr., owner of 143 Street Tacos in Sierra Vista, said he has been collecting applications for the past seven months because people don’t stay longer than a few months.

“After three or four months, they’re gone,” he said. “Before the pandemic, I blamed my cell phone.

“When the pandemic hits and things go back to normal, there will probably be 1 in 20.”

Job seekers value salary, work environment and schedule flexibility when looking for a job. Both Grisham and Carrillo said more and more people wanted part-time hours rather than full-time.

“There is a huge gap between what companies need and the workforce that exists to meet those needs,” says Grisham.

One of the gaps is salary. With the cost of living rising and the minimum wage rising, people’s wage expectations are rising, even in jobs that were once used to gain experience, Grisham said.

“Many of these restaurant jobs are stepping stones to gain experience while funding growth,” he says.

On average, it takes 3-6 months to find a job. Grisham recommends job seekers follow up with companies they apply to and ask for feedback if they don’t get the job.