According to recent studies, employees and prospective job hires are failing drug tests at alarming rates. In the past five years, the use of methamphetamines climbed to nearly 150 percent among workers in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The percentage of workers in the state of New York who abuse drugs rose within the past year as well. Employers in New York City cited the drug epidemic as a major factor in their inability to find suitable employees to fill positions at their companies. It may take up to 60 days to fill a position, and about 30 percent of open slots for various professionals including registered nurses remain open 60 days after posting.
Increasingly, more prospective workers fail drug tests or come to work under the influence of a drug including harder substances such as cocaine and methamphetamines. Half of New York City employers test prospective hires for drug abuse, and about 25 percent of those job applicants fail administered tests. The hospitality industry witnesses widespread drug abuse among its workers by the prevalence of employees failing to show up for work or arriving at work intoxicated. Currently, in general, job openings exceed the number of prospective workers by nearly a million.
Experts believe that the excessive amount of job openings in markets across the country may be due to prospective employees failing drug tests. If you need the services of a skilled employment lawyer, contact Sidney L. Gold & Associates, P.C. for a free consultation. Please call 215-569-1999 or contact us online to discuss your case at our office in Philadelphia.
