This literally happened.
Recently, a friend asked me to join her at a tax office, because they had too much work, and not enough help. Even though I was on a hiatus, I agreed, because I have no problem earning extra cash. Fast forward to now, where there are still tax returns that need to be completed, and neither of us have been given any hours recently. I contact the owner of the office, and say I will be in on Monday to talk about what is going on. Meanwhile, she contacts my friend and tells her that neither of use will be needed for “awhile”. She brought on a third person who keeps quitting them, and gave our hours to her. Additionally, she is not very accurate, and a heck of a lot slower than either of us.
My friend calls back to confirm her employment status. Is she fired? No. Is she laid off? No. She and I will be contacted when we are needed. Mind you, I don't really need the job, because I have plenty going on in my life, but my friend needs the consistent employment. It really sucks for her, and she's been really loyal to this company.
When an employer keeps saying they can't find help, maybe, just maybe, it's because they don't treat their human capital with respect.