Full employment is a wonderful thing, unless, of course, you are an employer looking for workers.

Virtually everywhere a person looks there are “help wanted” signs in windows and online job sites. In some businesses, such as fast food, the shortage of workers is turning into a major problem. There are shortages everywhere — in retail, at the shore, even in the better-paying construction industry. Getting and keeping employees is becoming more difficult and more time-consuming.

Only a third of teens have summer jobs these days. Many students point to schedules packed with sports, taking summer courses and volunteering to beef up their resumes for college.

Twenty-five years ago, there were more than 56 teenagers in the labor force for every “limited service” restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter or drive-thru. Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers’ decreasing work force participation and of the explosive growth of eating places.

But the shortages are everywhere. Remember earlier this summer, the Carbon County Commissioners were considering curtailing swimming hours at the Mauch Chunk Lake because of a shortage of qualified lifeguards? There were five vacancies out of 10 positions in May, but, by beating the bushes, the commissioners were able to find enough certified lifeguards to allow a basically normal summer program.

The problem was similar at several municipal pools in our area, but, in some cases, there was not a happy ending. Allentown city officials said they had no choice except to close two pools because of the lifeguard shortage.

With unemployment at a 17-year low (at 4 percent nationally, a little higher in our area), business owners are struggling to find workers. In the fast-food industry, not too long ago there was a waiting list of prospective employees. Not so today. As one fast food manager told me jokingly, “If the person has a heartbeat, he’s qualified.”

At the turn of the century, about half of those between 16 and 19 had a part- or full-time job; today, that number is down to 30 percent.

Cheap labor is an essential component of the fast-food industry, but the minimum, $7.25-an-hour job is going the way of the dodo bird as companies up the ante to attract new workers and retain experienced ones. One survey showed that the average fast food job pays about $11 an hour. There has been a national push to get the starting wage to $15 an hour. Some companies have begun offering additional perks such as signing and referral bonuses, health and dental insurance and travel reimbursement. McDonald’s, for example, says that it will expand its tuition-reimbursement program by allocating $150 million over a five-year period to employees who work for the chain for at least 90 days. Before, the requirement was nine months.

According to a recent Pew research report, when teens do get summer jobs, they are more likely to be working in hospitality and food services rather than in retail. In fact, this is the only area of employment where more teens were working than in July 2000.

Many area residents who vacation in popular seaside resorts such as Ocean City, Maryland, are accustomed to seeing a majority of Eastern European and Asian students working at seasonal jobs. This year, however, with the clampdown by the Trump administration on the issuance of visas, fewer students from these countries have been granted temporary entry, resulting in loud complaints from shore business owners who are struggling with many unfilled positions.

The number of student visas for Serbia and Ukraine dropped by more than a third from May 2017 to this year. Moldova, Poland and Russia also had decreased.

Jennifer Hatfield, director of government relations for the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, said her members are frustrated by the number of visa denials.

B.J. Fisher, health and safety director of the American Lifeguard Association points to a double whammy this year for shore businesses — shortage of lifeguards and unprecedented visa troubles.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com