Combating the Shortage in Skilled Labor

As you may be aware, experts have been predicting a shortage in skilled labor in the U.S. for the past several years. Population growth in the U.S. is slowing down and employers are unable to find workers with the skills they need. For many employers, once they are ready to add positions to their payrolls, it can be so difficult to find capable workers that these new positions are left unfilled. Many employers say that those who have the needed skills already have jobs, while those who are available to work aren’t qualified.

We at Westfield have put the following information together to help you deal with the shortage in skilled employees.

Background: The Effects of Education and Immigration on the Labor Shortage

Education
The U.S. took efforts to improve educational achievement among citizens in order to be prepared for the work challenges of the 21st century. These efforts have not been overly successful, at least when compared to efforts of other countries. Middle- and high-school students in the U.S. do poorly in math and science when compared to their international counterparts. In addition, more than 60 percent of employers rate high-school graduates’ basic English skills as only fair or poor. While high school administrators proudly report high percentages of their graduates going on to college, what they don’t report is that more than half of all college students never graduate. Sadly, improvements to the educational system in the U.S. are not likely to take effect anytime soon as politicians and administrators debate various plans and strategies.

Immigration
Over the past couple of decades, the U.S. has experienced historical levels of immigration, making it the largest importer of international labor. While this can in some ways make up for the lack of education described above, there is evidence that the rate of immigration is slowing. Several factors are contributing to this, including the increased difficulty of obtaining a visa due to the number of available visas being cut. Not only are visas harder to come by, immigration rules and procedures since 9/11 have delayed visa approvals, adding months to the process in some cases. The threat of terrorism is also making foreign workers less willing to come to the U.S. Finally, even higher education institutions in the U.S., which long dominated the world market for foreign students, are experiencing tough competition overseas. All of these factors are leading to fewer skilled foreign workers in the U.S. labor pool while the educational challenges faced by the U.S. are leading to domestic workers without the skills needed.

What Can We Do about the Skilled Labor Shortage?

Human resource experts have a few suggestions to combat this problem. First, they recommend knowing what’s going on globally, but think locally, no matter the size of your company. By knowing exactly how global issues affect your organization, you will be better able to identify solutions to the problem. Here are some other tips:

• Invest in older workers - Many older workers may be interested in senior-friendly redesigned work, flexible schedules, and phased retirement. In addition, encourage older workers to transfer knowledge to new employees before they leave.
• Promote diversity - Fast-track immigrants into key management positions so they can open dialogues with businesses in their native countries, paving the way for your company to do business in these countries. In addition, don’t ignore those people who have withdrawn from the workforce and are not included in the unemployment statistics. Many of these people have the skills necessary and want to work. Also consider asking part-timers if they are interested in more hours.
• Build your brand - Make your company a place people want to work. Promote your company or industry to young people in order to attract them. For example, the National Association of Manufacturers launched a promotion campaign, "Dream It, Do It," to promote manufacturing as a way for young people to turn an interest in technology or art into a career in manufacturing.
• Invest in training, development, and continuing education - Use internal or external resources to provide employees with these opportunities, and be sure to market them when recruiting. The shortage of skilled labor is a serious issue for many of our commercial customers. If you can’t find the right people for the job, the job doesn’t get done or doesn’t get done well. This can have a huge impact on your business. By using the tips above, we hope you are able to combat this growing issue and be successful for many years into the future.