Meck jail officers, staff told to work extra days each month amid staff shortages
Staffing shortages mean that Mecklenburg County Jail personnel will have to work two extra days each month, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The extra hours will ensure better safety and security at the jail, spokesperson Janet Parker said in an email. Employees will choose which additional days they work.
“We are currently experiencing staffing shortages for a multitude of reasons; vacant positions, illnesses, ongoing training, and attrition just scratch the surface of a nationwide problem,” Parker said.
Three inmates have died at the Mecklenburg County jail this year, the Observer previously reported. Since 2008, 24 people have died while in custody there, including five in 2018 and three last year, according to Sheriff’s Office data.
Industries across the country recently have reported labor shortages. The United States had 32% more job vacancies in April than it did before pandemic-related shutdowns began in February 2020, according to CNN.
A small minority of business economists — 6% — told Bloomberg they expected the shortages to disappear by the end of 2021, the news agency reported Monday.