Hire Dynamics, a staffing company with offices in Savannah and across the Southeast, is celebrating 20 years of putting people to work.

“Here in Savannah, we put over 625 people to work a day and aim to fill more than 150 positions in manufacturing, contact centers, office support and e-commerce/logistics at warehouses and distribution centers,” Savannah Regional Manager Lori Pitt said. “We are adept in helping people reenter the workforce, even during a global pandemic.”

Pitt recently helped connect Savannah area job seekers with potential positions in anticipation of a busy holiday season during Hire Dynamics’ annual companywide “HirePalooza” job fair in September. As a result of the two-day event, the Savannah branch helped more than 80 people enter or reenter the workforce in sectors from supply chain to manufacturing and office support. Across its 50 branches, more than 3,500 job seekers applied for positions, and HirePalooza put 800 people to work.

Hire Dynamics was co-founded in 2001 by Chief Operating Officer Jon Neff and Executive Chairman Dan Campbell.

“Everything about the job market has changed in many ways over the past 20 years,” said Campbell. “Employees now have more choices in the job market, especially due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, employers are finding they must offer perks, more salary and benefits to entice them.”

Savannah area unemployment fell from 8.4% in July 2020 to 3.1% in July 2021, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rates fell from 10.5 to 5.7% in the same period.

“The pandemic also accelerated jobs in e-commerce,” said Neff. “What this has meant for workers is that many of the skills they used in retail stores can be transferred to e-commerce as customer service is now the new ‘brick and mortar.’”

Pitt says the job market will continue to evolve in the years ahead, with emerging demand for skilled trades.

“The job market is shifting from traditional jobs requiring a four-year degree to less traditional careers that allow for more work-life balance and options,” she added. “We’re seeing more job-entry opportunities through apprenticeship programs and for technical school graduates.”

“In the future, we’ll also continue to see some jobs that have been traditionally performed by humans replaced by robotics,” said Campbell. “While there are some jobs that will always require human beings, in many cases automation has the upper hand. This is a substantial up-front cost for companies but over time it can even out and help businesses save money.”

While the pandemic-driven trend of working from home may be here to stay for some, Pitt says service industries such as manufacturing, logistics and e-commerce will continue to have little migration to remote work.

“Business owners should also expect the momentum to build in regulations that benefit employees,” said Neff. “These include the Affordable Care Act, family leave, vaccine regulations, minimum wage increase, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.”