The CEO of a solar-panel company said he scheduled 8 interviews looking for a new electrician, but only 2 candidates showed up

• The CEO of Alternative Energy Southeast said that job seekers keep skipping their interviews.

• Montana Busch said that he'd raised starting wages, but that he was struggling to recruit staff.

• "It's very much an employee's market right now," he told Insider.

The CEO of a solar-panel company said that job seekers aren't turning up to their interviews.

Montana Busch, CEO of Alternative Energy Southeast in northern Georgia, told Insider that he had recently scheduled interviews with eight candidates for a job as an electrician, but only two showed up.

Amid a huge labor shortage, companies across the US are increasingly competing with each other for personnel. Some are hiking pay and offering improved benefits to attract new workers as well as retain existing ones. But many have also had to slash their operations because they simply can't find enough staff.

Busch's industry has had to work hard to attract new starters in the past, he says, but the pandemic has made the challenge even tougher. His firm is among the many that are struggling to recruit new staff, with some business owners telling Insider that as many as 90% of candidates don't turn up to job interviews, and some quit soon after being hired. One taco-restaurant owner said he was "basically hiring anyone that would show up."

Busch said that Alternative Energy Southeast had 25 employees but would ideally like 10 more.

"There's just an unlimited amount of work in solar," he said, adding that demand is surging because customers want installation work completed before the end of the fiscal year so they can claim tax credits.

Busch said that he'd raised starting wages to around $13 an hour for new solar installer hires with no experience, and to $17 for people with minor experience in the construction industry. More experienced staff are eligible for wages of up to $33 an hour, he said. Busch he also offered healthcare, paid holidays, and other benefits.