Yeah but no. I carried on playing even with no staff, cleared my debt in 6 months, still no people to employ. No people undiscovered that I can find. Tried employing other peoples staff, got 1. Game obviously can't cope with aggressive playstyle, which is my style.
This can be solvable if within the user config file (or in the Options menu's 'Extra pool characters to create each month' line) raise the monthly spawned npc from the default 2 to 3 or max 4. (It isn't wise raising it to 4 or to 5 because the strategic disadvantage. AI clubowners profit from this too, stealing and hiring better workforce, leaving the unwanted and creepy ones to free) Also if any club owner is build a room also 2 new npcs will appear when it's finished.
The other factor is the free npc's happiness. If they happy (for example an unemployed npc with more than neutral 'not working' option) they likely dont wanna change they occupation (means she will be happy if not working anything). Sway them to be not happy and likely they will accept your considerations. Also count the job position too. If a factory worker has 15$ wage, they likely refuse a janitor job for that 12$ base salary but accept a better job (like waitress or cook, etc). If you continuosly raid non-employed npcs with dating and more (spoil them w gifts, or fck w them) they happiness raising what means they likely not want to change job occupation.
So the best chance to find someone to be employee has with low happiness and lower income than you want to offer. I'm not sure but your honor counts too (w low honor peoples will respect you less regardless your club's fame or the value of your clothes (what is boost the opinion on you)).
Another tip for your current situation is to steal employees from other clubs. Go there, sway them to not like what they doing and when the time is come offer them a job, if hired build up they opinion and keep them happy (w optimal salary, job likeness, and health) to not leave you for a better offer.
IMO an 'aggressive' playstyle can be profitable 'only' if at least the singers are unlocked by the law. Hiring more singers (and up) than the AI clubowners will take the advantake to gain the lead of the rivalisation and kicks up your income and fame almost instantly. Also should keep eye on demands. Why pay for 3 waitress when only one is enough to fulfill demands. This true until up to 2 opening period (like all day afternoon to night cycle). The quality matters. One very good waitress is mostly more valuable than 3 mixed quality ones. And visitors mostly come for quality (fame), offered services (like gambling), and at last the price. Singers (and up) greatly boost the fame, better than any other employee. Recommend hiring singers with high lewdness because if the laws allow they can be converted even naughtier position (dancer at 30 -> stripper at 65-> sex worker at 80 lewdness). And if you can't keep up the performers number with the rivals focus to train them to be better skilled than the rivals have. But it's true with the whole training strategy: train ones first whos bring money or fame most (prioritize first the performers like singer, after that common others, after that the low value workers like janitors, restroom attendants).
And my last tip is: when you start a new game don't leave your town population (and of course the monthly npc spawn) on the default if you don't want to be a very long grind (or want to be play in aggressive style). The default settings are hard, but the first time players can learn from it a lot and can refine this settings on they demand later, in a new playthrough.