[Music] What's fueling a labor shortage on Long Island and where the jobs are now if you're looking for work?

And no signs the island's hot housing market is cooling.

What you should know if you're house hunting this spring.

Plus, is pet insurance worth it?

We're looking at the benefits versus the rising costs.

It's your business, Long Island.

I'm Newsday TV's Macy Eglund.

And I'm Ken Buffa.

Here are some business headlines you need to know.

Islandia removed a legal hurdle for a future Trader Joe's distribution hub.

The village will replace decades-old restrictions imposed on the project site which once housed Computer Associates headquarters.

The project site is currently under construction.

The project site is currently under construction.

The project site is currently under construction.

The project site is currently under construction.

The project site is currently under construction.

The project site is currently under construction.

The Regal in Hampton Bay showed its final movie in late January after years of financial struggles.

Finding skilled workers is a growing problem for businesses on Long Island.

Our Doug Gied takes a look at what's to blame and where workers can find jobs right now.

Hello, I'm Doug Gied.

Affordability and commuting are two of the biggest hurdles, among many others, for businesses looking to hire workers here on Long Island.

Here's a deeper dive into a recent poll.

Difficult for us to find any skilled labor.

It's a headache many businesses on Long Island are facing, including Site One, a wholesaler that supplies landscape material to contractors and municipalities.

Many of the positions that we fill come spring are seasonal, so it's difficult to find young, qualified staff to work with our customers.

It's a similar story for Stephen Griffith, owner of a HOPOG-based business that designs and creates exhibits for trade shows.

He's got job openings for a variety of different skill sets and is having trouble filling them.

We're dealing with competing with wages, health insurance, the benefit packages and stuff that we're offering.

We are getting some applicants, but some of them are just not meeting the criteria or you're overpaying a great deal.

45% of businesses on Long Island say they're having trouble filling open positions.

That's according to a new survey of more than 300 business leaders on the island.

They cited housing and transportation as the two top issues that make it hard to attract workers and hard to do business here in general.

45% of those surveyed also said they were not very confident that local governments on the island will be able to improve the business climate.

The same survey a year ago found that 54% of business leaders expected the economy to improve this year.

But in this new survey, only 25% said they actually think it has improved.

Right now, there's a, what I'm calling a retrenchment of spirit.

They just don't feel as good about the economy today as they did a year ago.

Basically, they're telling us that they don't feel as though government, the federal, the state, or even local, clearly understand what it takes for these businesses to be successful.

Joining me now to dig more into this issue is Newsday's business reporter, James T. Madour.

Stacey Sykes is vice president of government affairs and communications with the Long Island Association.

And Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute.

All right, let's start with you, James.

So what are you hearing from business leaders?

I know you speak with them every day on your beat.

What are their concerns?

In the last few months, I've heard a lot about the cost of health insurance.

And what does an employer do?

How much do you pass along to your employee?

Do you reach a tipping point where the employee says, "I can't work here anymore.

I've got to get another job."

Or, "I was offered a job by this company and I can't take it."

In talking to Jeff Davoli, who's a partner with PKF O'Connor Davies, the accounting firm, who helped sponsor the poll, he said to me, "That's the number one issue, health insurance.

What am I going to do as an employer to grapple with double-digit increases?"

Yeah, and so many job searchers also, health is like a big thing.

Do you find certain sectors of the economy on the island hiring right now?

Yes, actually according to the New York State Department of Labor, over the last year, the sector that's hired the most people is social assistance.

That's daycare centers, senior care, and rehabilitation.

That's followed by private schools, and then hospitals, and professional and business services, so that would be accounting firms, consultants, lawyers, and finally, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

- Okay, it surprised me a little.

I thought health would be number one, but it's kind of third there with the hospitals, okay.

All right, Don, let's get to you.

That poll, very, very interesting.

A lot of interesting tidbits in there.

It shows Long Island employers really having difficulty finding those skilled workers.

How does that compare with previous polls on the island here?

- One of the things that we saw this year was that amongst business leaders, they give some negative grades to the island.

They say that there's less of an ample supply of skilled workers ready to step in and contribute.

Right now, employers, they hire when they have to.

They hire when that need is pronounced.

But right now, they're telling us that they just simply aren't enough.

Over half, 56 percent, say that that's a challenge for them, that there aren't enough skilled workers ready to step in and immediately contribute.

And unfortunately, when we ask them to grade the workforce on things like professionalism, initiative, even on skills like writing skills or verbal expression skills, they give the folks that they do see walking in the door poor grades.

And I've heard some employees say they're overpaying too just to get someone there.

Yeah, absolutely.

They say that it's very competitive when they do find someone that they want.

And they look at the cost.

They look at the health care costs.

They look at the compensation costs.

They feel as though many of the folks who walk in and ask for a job are unrealistic about compensation.

fewer employers are saying that they're going to hire this year.

We're down this year to only 27% of Long Island business leaders say they plan to hire.

Last year, that number was 44% who intended to add people to their workforce.

Interesting.

I'm sure the need is still there to hire.

And Don Leslie, did the poll give you any indication of the factors making it so difficult for employers to find workers?

- Well, a couple of the things that struck them, they're concerned about an aging workforce.

Over half, 52%, say that the workforce is aging out and that young people, that sweet spot that everybody wants to hire a young person who's gonna have the energy and the recent training to come in and contribute.

54%, over half, say they're having problems attracting those young workers for a variety of reasons.

Most dramatically, the cost of housing.

Availability and cost of affordable housing, they say, is a detriment to them being able to recruit and/or retain those vital young workers.

Stacy, I'm sure your LIA members are echoing those same things, right?

Yes, so the Long Island Association has thousands of members spanning all industry sectors and sizes.

We have been advocating for Long Island's economic growth for the past 100 years.

And we have been hearing that businesses have been having issues with attraction and retention of workers.

And our economic challenges as a region go hand in hand with the workforce challenges.

We have a crisis of affordability.

Everybody is talking about it now, but the cost of living on Long Island is too high to retain workers.

Just December of 2025, the median price of a home in Nassau County was $835,000, and in Suffolk County around $700,000.

I know Dr.

Levy mentioned this, but this is a real issue for businesses who are trying to look for workers and retain their workers on Long Island.

The other two things we're hearing about is high turnover.

So because of the affordability issues, employees are prioritizing cash flow over longer term benefits like pensions and health care and 401ks.

So that causes higher turnover at companies.

And then the third is a lack of awareness about other types of career opportunities.

James talked about health care and education, which is which are our leading industry sectors, but there are also opportunities in sectors like manufacturing and the trades that require specific skills and I think more awareness of those opportunities would help employ more people on Long Island.

Do you find an optimism or a pessimism or all over the board when you talk to your members?

I think it's a concern, like they're concerned, just what the survey found that Dr.

Levy was talking about, there's a concern about being able to meet their workforce needs because for our region to address our affordability and cost of living crisis, we have to grow and we have to create jobs.

And it's hard for businesses to expand and create jobs if they have difficulty filling positions.

Yeah, so I want to talk about solutions.

How do we get out of this?

The high cost of living has been around forever.

I mean, when I was right out of college, I'm like, "How am I ever going to afford to live here?"

You know, that sort of thing.

What are some solutions, do you think, Jay?

One of the key issues that is an advantage to Long Island is we have a lot of training programs, whether it's at the community college level, it's union apprenticeship programs, but there's not a lot of connection between the training programs and the needs of employers.

And one of the big pushes, led by the LAA, led by Representative Tom Suozzi, is to bring people together to create a central database where employers can go, where potential employees can go, and find out where the jobs and where the training programs.

One thing to remember is that Long Island has about 300,000 businesses.

More than 90% of them have less than 20 employees.

So they're small businesses.

You have a few people doing lots of different things at a business.

You don't have an HR director.

It's often the company president who's also hiring.

So it's really important to have resources to help these small businesses who are literally struggling every day just to keep the door open.

- Don, in terms of the poll, did you get a feel for what they feel could be done to help the situation?

I mean, house prices are just not gonna get lowered, taxes, transportation suddenly is not gonna be like a loss of traffic.

pessimistic about it?

Well, they're calling for some solutions.

One third of the business leaders that we interviewed is calling on government on all levels to engage in workforce development.

There are programs, but they're calling on more, more internship programs, more support to get workers ready to come in and contribute right away.

Also, you know, while housing prices are not likely to come down tomorrow, they'd like to see some progress, they'd like to see there to be development of housing, you know, whether it's two years down the road, five years down the road, that could possibly provide places for these young people, you know, and the other issue that seems to be that maybe falls on employees rather than employers, is there's a decision to be made?

When we ask people what are the assets of being an employee on Long Island, overwhelmingly they say the quality of life, the recreational opportunities, the small-town feel.

It's a great place to live and raise a family but the the but comes in immediately only if you can afford it.

So there's still a choice that each individual employee is going to make.

Do they want to invest their time, their energy to become part of the life on Long Island that they enjoy, that their parents perhaps enjoyed and loved?

It comes with the cost of finding a way to afford it.

Something that jumped out at me in the poll, and I forget the percentage, but it was very high.

Despite the complaints, employers said if they were going to start their business over again, they would stay on Long Island.

Did that surprise you at all, or is that something you find in other polls?

Well, we found that over and over again here on Long Island.

We haven't found it in some other places.

Long Islanders love Long Island.

And I think it's that spirit that, you know, of the folks who are the CEOs, of the folks who already own their home, they say it's a great place to live.

The problem at hand is how can they bring this younger generation to achieve that same component of the Long Island American dream.

Stacey, moving forward, it's a hard question to answer, but what do you see happening in two years down the road, five years down the road?

Improvements?

So the Long Island Association this week issued our advocacy agenda for 2026.

It's our policy priorities on the federal, state, and local levels of government.

And there are solutions out there to address our affordability.

There are proposals at the state level to try to streamline the process for building new housing.

There's infrastructure, because to build new housing we need infrastructure support.

And in terms of the workforce, communication is definitely key.

So there are, James mentioned, there are so many wonderful programs across Long Island and the LIA is working to connect those programs with businesses so they can be responsive to each other's needs and address specific skills that are needed in different industries.

And I agree with this conversation that Long Island is the greatest place to live on earth and we just have to keep supporting our businesses so they can grow and expand and integrating new technologies like artificial intelligence so it helps them create jobs not displace them.

So we're going to be figuring that out over the next couple years but there are real solutions out there and if anyone would like to read our policy priorities they can visit our website at longislandassociation.org.

- James, not that we're at a tipping point, but do you think this problem has reached almost near crisis proportions where something definitely will have to be done and will be done?

- Well, I think one of the real positives here is that we're talking about affordability.

Affordability has come to the top of the agenda in Albany, in Washington, in Mineola, in Haupaug.

Businesses need government's help.

They can't do it by themselves.

We saw that during the pandemic.

Government stepped in with loans and grants to sustain businesses.

That allowed us to have the economy we have today.

But the fact that affordability is something everyone is talking about is really important.

Because we know Long Island's been expensive for decades and affordability was not even on the agenda.

So we can hope that this year we see action in Washington, Albany, Mineola, and HopHop.

Finally, Don, not really a question but more a thought.

Anything else jump out at you about the poll?

One of the things, again, turning it on its head and looking at it from the employee standpoint, the business leaders are saying that many of the people come in and they're not ready.

They want to hire people who are ready.

They want to hire people who can come in day one, make a contribution.

So the advice is get the training, get ready, the jobs then are there, and perhaps, you know, the future on Long Island is there to those who are prepared to make an immediate contribution.

Right.

Very interesting conversation.

Important.

Don, thank you.

James and Stacey, we appreciate you talking about this important topic.

And you can read more about this on Newsday.com.

I'm Doug Gee.

Thanks for watching.

Now to the island's housing market.

Experts tell us prices are up all around, from luxury buyers to first time house hunters.

Newsday commercial real estate and retail reporter Celia Young takes a look.

Long Island housing prices continued to rise at the end of last year, according to a report from Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman.

The median price of a home on Long Island, excluding the Ritz here East End, rose by 5.6% to $739,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025, when compared with the same period in 2024.

Prices have risen since the pandemic, and higher prices continue to make it difficult for first-time buyers to purchase a home.

Agency buyers need to be prepared, have all their documents in order, and come in with a strong first offer.

Meanwhile, in the Hamptons, median home prices broke records at the end of last year, reaching $2.3 million, amid a surge in high-priced home sales.

That's 33 percent higher than the same period last year.

Experts say a strong year on Wall Street spurred home sales in the region.

And on the North Fork, a South Hold mansion and former vineyard sold for $12.35 million in January.

That set a record for the most expensive single-family home sale sold on a single lot in the North Fork.

For Newsday TV, I'm Celia Young.

For many Long Islanders, pets are members of the family.

And the cost to care for them comes with an added financial responsibility, one that is getting more and more expensive.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the average pet owner spent more than $1,700 last year caring for their pets.

That's an increase of about $200 from 2024.

One option to help pay for that is to have pet insurance.

But is it right for you and your family?

Joining me now to talk more about this is Newsday reporter John Asbury, Ray Alvarez, a lieutenant with the Suffolk County SPCA, and Dr.

Michael Q. Bailey, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Thank you all for being here to talk about this topic.

John, we want to start with you.

You've been reporting on this.

What do these pet insurance plans include, and roughly how much are people paying for them per month?

- Well, there's various plans, and it's important to note only about 3% of pets are actually covered by pet insurance owners who have taken these plans.

And they can range anything from accidental emergencies, including accidental ingestion of foreign objects, to more comprehensive plans that also include illness and long-term care.

- How much do they cost on average?

- So they can range from about $30 a month per cats to around $60 for dogs, but that can total to $700 to $1,000 per year.

- So it adds up.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- We're talking significant money here.

Dr.

Bailey, let's get over to you.

What are some of the most common reasons for a vet visit and what can a standard visit cost a pet owner these days?

Well, your prices that you're talking about are accurate from the point of view of the care of the pet, but the care of the pet is including everything including food and grooming and such.

The average pet visit for a dog is actually just over $200 for wellness exams.

That's per year, actually, or per visit.

But if it comes down to a catastrophic event, such as the pet has ingested a foreign body or even more has developed cancer, those can get quite expensive.

That's because the sophistication of veterinary medicine now equals that of human medicine in many regards.

It is getting more expensive, but we're saving our pets' lives in a lot of cases.

Ray, you have two cats, Otto and Bandit.

Let's take a look at Otto and Bandit.

They're a couple cuties.

Have you been noticing that the cost of their care is going up when you're taking them to the vet?

Yes, you know, marginally, but not to a great extent.

And we pretty much take them, you know, I say we because my son and I will take them to the vet, you know, wellness every year.

And we pay out of pocket for that right now.

And it's not really cost prohibitive for us, but we did have an instance last year where a bandit had ingested a foreign object and required surgery and it came to almost $3,000.

Wow.

Yeah.

And if you had pet insurance, you know, it would cover a pretty good chunk of that.

My dog needed to have a kidney removed.

It was 12 grand and my pet insurance covered 10 grand of that.

So it was literally a lifesaver for my family, but it's not something that a lot of people do deal with.

So you kind of have to weigh like, is it worth the monthly bill?

So when you are, you know, dealing with pet owners across Long Island, is the cost of having a pet and, you know, having these vet bills a reason that people are giving up their pets?

Yes, in some cases, and it could be because, you know, they transition in life to retirement with a fixed income where funds are a little more limited, or they just don't have the money to care for them properly, and then we get called in a more official capacity and, you know, try and, you know, weigh options, so the pets get the best, you know, care.

Yeah.

I mean, everything is more expensive these days.

It is.

People are having a hard time making ends meet.

People need to do their research when they're deciding what plans they're going to use.

Dr.

Bailey, what are some of the pros that you've seen?

I mean, when people coming in, I'm sure it's helped tremendously.

It puts you at ease of mind.

And just like having a plan that covers a warranty for your home, warranty for your car, you know that when something happens, you're putting out a small amount of money each time.

So if that catastrophic event happens, you have somebody who's going to help you through those events.

Dr.

Bailey, we mentioned kind of a list of cons as well when it comes to pet insurance.

Can you run us through this list?

I really want to emphasize, do a good examination of comparing apples with apples.

Make sure that you can get the services you want in your community.

There are some plans that may look great, but you have to travel long distance in order to obtain them.

Great insight.

Thank you, Doctor.

Let's get back over to you, John.

If people do decide that this is right for them, it sounds like some employers now are offering pet insurance.

Is that an option for some people?

Yeah, a lot of companies will offer it as part of their general benefits.

Payroll deductions as part of open enrollment.

You can get it just for a deduction from your check every week, or you can hire these outside pet insurance firms that do cover a lot of stuff.

So it's really just a matter of, as the doctor said, what is best for you in terms of how much you want to pay out of your paycheck or pay out of pocket each month.

So hopefully this helps you and your family make an informed decision about pet insurance now that we've kind of laid out all the details for you.

My thanks to Newsday's John Asbury, Ray Alvarez, and Dr.

Michael Q. Bailey for being part of this conversation with us.

You can read John's article about this on our website, Newsday.com.

Grab your skates.

We're managing ice rinks.

He says his role has many facets, but admits it does revolve around one large frozen oval.

My name is Kevin McCormack and I'm the general manager of Pecanic Ice Rinks in Calverton, NY.

I've been a manager in ice skating rinks for 40 years and I love my job because every day I get to deal with wonderful customers, staff and people every single moment of the day.

Here footwear is important and if you're running the rink you better know how to sharpen skates.

Something McCormick says is part art and part patience because each skate gets eight passes through the sharpening belt.

That's exhausting.

When you're not up front, you may be out back checking out the commercial compressor systems.

Heat comes out here to the compressor and the compressor absorbs that heat and then rejects it out to the atmosphere.

But everyone's favorite part of the ice rink experience has to be the ice resurfacer, which most call the Zamboni, which despite its slow speed, is actually doing a lot of things very fast.

So it shaves the ice and then it picks that up and it puts it into a snow bin.

After that, it washes the ice and then the last thing is it puts water down to fill in all the cracks and imperfections that are in the ice surface.

That's how much it got off the ice, off the rink, in this one pass?

That was awesome!

Despite all this, McCormick says a good rink has to have a great experience, which means customer service is key.

I think a lot of it is customer service.

We're all about entertainment, we're all about a customer service business.

So it's a very, very busy place.

And if you can carve some smiles into your day, he says your love for the rink business will never go cold.

People are coming here to recreate and to have a great time and to be entertained.

And you're providing that experience for them.

I'm surprised it had that much snow in it.

Like that was shocking to me.

It was a lot and it goes top speed I think it's five miles per hour.

Cruising.

So hold on.

Where was your seatbelt Ken?

Exactly.

Next time.

Alright that's your business Long Island.

For the latest local business news go to Newsday.com.

I'm Ken Buffa.

I'm Macy Egland.

Thanks for watching.

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