(Bloomberg) — America’s labor shortage has spread to the Santa Claus economy.

Like other industries, demand for workers in this sector has surged as Americans try to return to pre-pandemic life. Mitch Allen, the founder of Dallas talent agency HireSanta said that there are approximately 3000 open jobs for Kris Kringle looks-alikes. These can be found at homes, malls and corporate events. This is despite the fact that last month’s U.S. unemployment rate was lower than expected.

Allen stated that the number of entertainers available has decreased by 10%. It’s an older cohort that has been hit hard by Covid-19. Allen’s data shows that more than 300 Santa entertainers were killed by the virus. The pandemic has scared off many more. Like other industries, wages are increasing to attract more workers. According to him, holiday season wages have risen as high as 15% and $10,000.

“We ran out of Santas,” said Allen, whose company has been struggling since October to find workers willing to don that famous red suit.

Christmas has been an important tool to help malls and shops attract customers. In the modern era of ecommerce, where retailers are desperate to get customers, Santa Nick is even more essential, leading to a Santa boom in the past decade. He used to only show up in department stores and malls, but more recently he’s been found at chains ranging from Walmart (NYSE:) to Bass Pro Shops. To stand out, some malls invested more in their Santa experiences, turning them into Christmas villages that feature children’s movie franchises like “Shrek” and “Frozen.”

Santa experience changed last year after Covid decimated the U.S. Macy’s and other retailers turned to virtual visits. Social distancing was used to keep the in-person attraction alive, such as putting the cheerful old elf inside a huge snow globe.

Recent emergences of the Omicron variant could revive many of the pandemic protocols. Heather Cromwell (VP of strategy and communication at Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, NYSE:) Trust), which has malls across the Mid-Atlantic, stated that the Santa experience will be less stressful this year. The company used “Santa shields” last year to separate kids from Santa. Now visitors can sit on a vaccinated Santa’s lap.

Macy’s is allowing parents to bring their kids to select locations to visit its Santaland, but with restrictions. Everyone must be masked and children will visit Santa in his office and chat with him across a desk — no lap sitting allowed.

“People are much more willing this year to go out and visit Santa,” Cromwell said.

According to NPD Group research, only 15% of Christmas shoppers said they were unable to visit Santa and take photos with him last year.

Randyl Wagner is a Santa Claus for over 30 years. He, like millions of workers worldwide, switched to remote work in 2020. In total, he made more than 600 appearances via the internet from his Detroit house. This year, 64-year-old will be making public appearances again but this time with Covid protocols.

“I have not done any lap sitting yet,” Wagner said.

Howard Graham (NYSE:), 68, worked his way up the ranks to become one of Radio City Music Hall’s two in-house Santas. However, he didn’t perform last season because he got Covid before Thanksgiving and was hospitalized. Graham decided this year to get dressed up for charity and avoid bigger events.

“I’m not wary or afraid to meet one-on-one with anybody,” Graham said. “I’m just being cautious.”

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