Companies can't find workers who can hold a conversation or show up on time

It's not about finding workers; it's about finding the right ones.

According to the latest supplemental survey from the New York Fed's manufacturing and business leaders surveys, employers in the New York area are facing two main problems: workers who can show up on time and workers who can hold a conversation.

The survey showed that in April, 65% of manufacturing employers had difficulty finding punctual workers and 60% had trouble finding workers with interpersonal skills.

Among business leaders, a broader survey group, 42% had trouble finding punctual workers while about 48% had trouble finding workers with interpersonal skills.

These results also play into a theme we've been hammering on of late, which is that as the labor market improves, employers won't have trouble finding workers, but will have trouble finding the right workers.

NY Fed

And this survey also highlights another trend in the labor market we've been hammering on: wage growth.

77% of businesses in the New York area expect they will increase wages over the next year, up from 71% a year ago. But the big change is in employers who are expecting to give workers big raises, as 15% of employers expect to raise wages by 4% or more, up from 8% a year ago.

NY Fed