> "We have four positions open," Christy Welch, the co-owner of Black Cat Bake Shop, told the Missoulian. "One is for a barista. We've gotten maybe three to four applications for that job, when we would usually get 20-25. We have three back-of-house positions and we've gotten no applications."

> Current pay for most of those positions: $10.50 an hour. Overnight shifts get $11.50. Tips are shared. (Current average rental cost for a one-bedroom in Missoula: $1010 a month, up 27% from last year

In other words, average rent is 63% of gross income. Completely unreasonable.

It's hard to sympathize with the business owners here. If they want to fill positions, the answer is simple: pay more. And more. And more. Until you hit the price that will attract applicants. If you can't find applicants at any price that keeps you in business, time to fold.

It's baffling how these stories that the article cites so often feature incredulous business owners shocked to discover they can't fill economically unviable positions. It's almost as if they think they're entitled to sub-subsistence labor.