Morey's Piers in Wildwood is responding to the hiring crunch for seasonal workers by raising its hourly wage for some seasonal workers as high as $16.50 an hour this summer.

Morey's needs a substantial amount of seasonal workers to help handle running their Boardwalk amusement and water parks this summer and they are facing the same hiring struggles every South Jersey business is these days. There are simply too few workers to go around.

It's estimated that Morey's needs to fill 1,500 jobs, including roller coaster operators, lifeguards, and ticket sellers by the middle of June.

Compounding the problem is the expected shortage of J-1 foreign workers mostly from Europe's eastern block who usually fill many of these positions.

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Last year the pandemic interrupted the plans of many of these workers and this year Russia's invasion of Ukraine is expected to stop many foreign workers from traveling to the US this summer.

Morey's previously paid seasonal workers up to $15 an hour in 2021 and $12 an hour in 2020.

But, Morey's new $16.50 an hour offer comes with some restrictions.

Morey's is offering the $16.50 rate to workers 18 years and older, set up as a $15.00 hourly rate plus up to $1.50/hour performance payment.

Youth workers ages 14 and 15-years-old will be paid a $13.00 hourly rate plus up to $1.50/hour performance payment.

Workers who are 16 or 17-years-old will receive a $14.00 hourly rate plus up to $1.50/hour performance payment.

Morey's has a commitment minimum of 200 work hours. Employees must work until their date of commitment, agreed to at their interview.

The final performance amount is dependent on their work performance, according to the Morey's Piers website.

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