OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — Metro cities are still working to fill lifeguard positions as summer pool season begins, highlighting the staffing challenges facing seasonal employers that rely heavily on young and entry-level workers.
KFOR reported this week that Oklahoma City needs 10 more lifeguards to keep pool operations fully staffed. City officials said a shortage could affect amenities such as diving areas or slides if enough lifeguards are not available.
To attract more applicants, Oklahoma City is offering to pay for lifeguard training. The city is advertising lifeguard jobs for applicants 16 and older at $13 an hour.
Midwest City is facing similar challenges, according to KFOR. The city has 31 lifeguards for the Reno Swim & Slide Pool, but officials said the ideal number is 40. Midwest City officials told KFOR the pool has already had to close three days because of staffing issues.
The city has paid for some certifications and raised lifeguard wages to $12.34 an hour as it competes with other pools and recreation facilities for workers.
“There are just some facilities that have a draw in this community in the metro wide that there’s some pay rates that we can’t quite keep up with,” Josh Ryan, communications and recreation director for the City of Midwest City, told KFOR. “That’s just a reality for us.”
The shortage comes as Oklahoma voters consider State Question 832, which would raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029. Beginning in 2030, the wage would automatically increase each year based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
The lifeguard shortage does not show what SQ 832 would do on its own. But it does show the reality facing many seasonal employers: they are already competing for workers, paying for training, raising wages, and making operational decisions based on staffing and labor costs.
For cities, parks departments, pools, restaurants, farms, nonprofits, and other employers that rely on seasonal or entry-level workers, labor costs are often tied directly to whether they can maintain hours, services, and programming.
KFOR reported Oklahoma City and Midwest City officials both said they are still looking for more lifeguards.
