Dorney Park cuts summer hours due to worker shortage

Dorney Park has announced plans to shift to a five-days-a-week schedule this summer due to a shortage of workers.

The popular amusement park in Allentown, Lehigh County, will be open just Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. – effective immediately. 

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A Facebook post from the park said it is experiencing a labor shortage and can't keep it's usual weeklong schedule.

"While we are aggressively recruiting and adding new staff daily, we must adjust our operating calendar based on workforce availability," the post stated.

Dorney Park is in its 138th operating season. In a normal year, the park hires around 3,000 seasonal workers, The Morning Call reported. It's not clear how many employees the park was able to hire this year.

The park said it has open positions that pay $15 to $20 an hour, such as food service associate, ride operator and security access officer.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. of Sandusky, Ohio, which operates several parks including Dorney Park, said it adjusted the hours at a few of its properties.

Dorney Park said it will update its hours and events as its workforce grows.

The labor shortage is not exclusive to amusement parks. The country is simultaneously experiencing a labor shortage and high unemployment rates, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Finding employees to fill low-wage and hourly positions has been particularly challenging, HBR said. In fact, businesses in sectors such as food service and manufacturing have started upping their wages to draw in more applicants.

Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in Pittsburgh was having trouble recruiting new employees for its $7.25 hourly rate, the Washington Post reported. The shop saw no applications come in for nearly three months.

When owner Jacob Hanchar rose the hourly rate to $15, more than 1,000 applications came in.