NC businesses focus on summer hiring, sales as state unemployment rate beats national average

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As kids and families soaked up the sun Monday afternoon, lifeguards positioned around the pool at Granite Falls Swim & Athletic Club in Rolesville were watching closely.

"The candidate that we primarily look for are guards that are truly understanding the importance of lifeguarding and the consequences that can happen if they don't do their job correctly," said Brandon King, the founder and owner of Wake Aquatic Partners.

King said they hire about 140 lifeguards and another 40 or so attendants and service technicians, staffing up during the summer.

"We're normally going to find an age range of high school to college. Now, that being said, we definitely have a few older lifeguards that are more on the retirement side or schoolteachers," King explained.

He said they run lifeguard training courses months ahead of the peak season, noting their high retention rates.

"We have lifeguards that keep coming back. I would say we're a very experienced staff with six- and seven-year guards, which really helps us create an environment of where we can choose and be a little bit more nitpicky of who we hire," said King.

"I was about 15 at the time when I became a lifeguard. I knew that obviously I would have to start paying for some things myself and I wanted to find a job that I had a passion for," said Jaclyn Cronin, a lifeguard back for her fourth summer.

Cronin cited her personal background in wanting to become a lifeguard.

"I've been a competitive swimmer since I was about six years old, and I also have a special needs brother. Having a sibling with special needs has really inspired me to help others whenever I can," Cronin explained.

According to the US Department of Labor, youth force labor participation increased by 3.4% from January 2014 to 2024, with a consistent increase of 6 to 8 percent from May to June, a sign of summer hiring. Industries that see large jumps in youth employment include waitstaff, recreation workers, and fast-food workers.

Cronin, who wants to pursue a career in medicine, believes her experience in this role will help.

"I think that this is a great chance for me to develop those skills early on and again, just helping me to get practice in a real-world situation," said Cronin.

New figures from the North Carolina Department of Commerce show the state's workforce remains strong, with a 3.7% unemployment rate below the national rate of 4.2%.

"We're seeing a lot of law firms and medical offices need extra personnel to help out with growing offices and just the increased demand of the population here," said Amanda Bates, Director of Business Development with Express Employment Professionals.

Several counties in the Triangle have even lower unemployment rates, including Johnston (2.8%), Wake (2.9%), Chatham (3%), Durham (3%), Franklin (3%), Orange (3%), and Harnett (3.6%).

"We're always hiring for office services and professional. But I think in this market we're seeing a huge increase in light industrial and skilled trades recruiting. We're seeing a lot of really great companies move their manufacturing sites or grow. So we're not slowing down," said Bates.

Both Cumberland (4.3%) and Nash (4.3%) had higher unemployment rates than the national average.

Bates suggested that candidates utilize available resources ahead of interviews, including accessing programs at Wake Tech.

"We're encouraging and seeing a lot of associates take advantage of these certification programs they have for th4e additional schooling, even people taking a pivot between different career fields," said Bates.

While AI and automation see greater usage across various fields, Bates said there still remains a need for labor.

"I have seen a lot of clients of ours take automation and AI with open arms as more of like a partnership rather than a replacement for the workforce. There's still a human element. I think that's very much necessary in their workflow," said Bates.

While King has found success in consistency, for Uriel Romero and the team at Gym Tacos, they're naturally geared towards adaptability. The popular restaurant started as a single food truck now has three trucks and a brick-and-mortar location in both Raleigh and Durham.

"When we opened, it was crazy. It was packed. We had lines from here to the street," said Romero, one of the restaurant's partners.

The Raleigh location on Hillsborough Street is situated near NC State and Meredith College, and offers students a 10% discount. Romero said students account for about 30% of their business, but they are able to shift focus with the semester over.

"For the past month, we did more private events, like weddings, birthdays and graduations too. We take the food truck and we set it up," said Romero.

Known for their tacos, quesadillas, and burritos, there was a busy lunch rush again on Monday, weeks after graduation.

"I tell people to come and try it," said Romero, who noted they're working to enhance their social media and have goals to open more restaurants in the future.

Their flexibility extends towards pricing, as he noted rising costs for products such as flour tortillas, avocados, and meat.

"We increased the prices a little bit because everything went up. We're trying to make it even, so people can afford it. But people don't complain about the prices," Romero shared.