Mike Shadoan, director of the Warren County Department of Facilities Management said they kept the doors open an hour past closing time to make sure everyone who wanted to talk with someone about the job prospects could.
“It was a bit overwhelming, especially at the beginning,” he said.
There are 500-plus jobs available that run the gamut from maintenance crews to food and beverage service to finance and IT positions. When the Horseshoe Casino opened in Cincinnati in March, the facility had 1,700 workers and now there are about 2,100, including 400 who work for the two third-party restaurants at the site, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Kulczycki.
Ohio University Professor Alan Silver, who is an expert on casinos, said attrition at casinos is high for a number of reasons, especially in venues that have never had casinos before like Ohio. People start working and don’t realize the rigors of working at a 24/7 business, he said.
“A lot of people are excited. They see an opportunity, they see a job and they want to apply for the job,” Silver said. “Then later, they’ll find out down the road it’s pretty much 24/7. It’s weekends, it’s holidays, it could be evenings. So a lot of people just decide it’s not for me.”
Silver said over-hiring in the casino industry is normal because of the high attrition rate. Kulczycki agreed the Horseshoe, which received over 32,000 job applications, has seen some employee turnover since it opened.
“It is a 24/7 business so there is some attrition and replenishment and new jobs have been added…,” she said. “You can train people and you can say, ‘Hey you might have to work Mother’s Day, and you might have to work Christmas Eve.’ But until they actually get into that environment and are scheduled for Labor Day or Memorial Day, I think it becomes a bit more of a reality.”
Shands said they were delighted with the turnout on Wednesday and the Warren County racino is not hiring more help than it needs.
“When you open any new business, you gauge the market as best you can to make sure you will be able to maintain needed staffing levels, knowing that you will have some initial turnover,” Shands said. “But this is not unique to the gaming industry, it is an operating challenge common to most businesses, particularly in the service industry.”
There will be more job fairs for the racino that is under construction off Ohio 63 near Interstate 75. Shadoan said future fairs are going to be held at the county administration building, which is much more conducive to crowds.
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