A Missouri restaurant worker used the labor shortage to get a new job at Domino’s, win a quick promotion, and buy a second vehicle, a report says

• Some workers say they’re seeing better career opportunities in a tight US labor market.
• A Domino’s worker in Missouri said he secured a speedy promotion and more pay because of this.
• Experts say employees have the upper hand for the first time in years.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

The tight labor market in the US is helping some workers secure better-paying jobs and win quick promotions. Keith Lane is among them.

Lane told local Missouri news site Springfield News-Leader that he was laid off from his job at McAlister’s Deli in Springfield-Branson Airport early in the pandemic, and was out of work for four months. He later returned to McAlister’s, briefly, but then secured what he said was a better job at Domino’s Pizza in Springfield.

According to Springfield News-Leader, Domino’s promoted Lane to assistant manager within six months. Lane said that this helped him to buy a second vehicle, using the cash he pulled in from working the extra hours that were on offer.

Lane and others have taken advantage of the tight labor market by switching out of lower-paying or less desirable jobs. Some are even rage-quitting knowing that there are plenty more job opportunities around.

Businesses across the US are struggling to find workers. There were a record 10.1 million job openings in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Many are calling it a job-seekers’ market, where, for the first time in years, employees have the upper hand. And some businesses are going to extreme lengths to hire new workers, beyond wage increases, bonuses, and perks.

Amazon, for example, recently recommended that its delivery partners no longer screen would-be drivers for marijuana use. Other retailers say they’re so desperate for staff that they’re knowingly employing workers that are rude and scare off customers.

“We had a tightening labor market before the crisis, and the war for talent was already picking up,” Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, previously told NBC News. “By both constraining supply and boosting demand, we have put the whole labor market on steroids.”