Start now to beat Iowa's impending talent crunch

Start now to beat Iowa's impending talent crunch BY NICK REDDIN Recently I was a panelist for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) Workforce Solutions Tour. We traveled to the ends of Iowa in an effort to help companies deal with the recruiting and retention challenges they face today. It has been interesting to note that no matter the town's size, the challenge is exactly the same - not enough good employees to fill their job openings.

How did we get into this situation? Is it just Iowa facing this talent crunch? The answers aren't simple, and we have a couple of forces working against us. First, the demographics aren't on our side. Every woman has to give birth to 2.1 children to replace the current population. In the United States, our birthrate of 2.0 is high when compared with other developed countries. Many of those having children are children themselves, which tends to continue the cycle of poverty and unemployment.

We're also aging. Forty-three percent of the U.S. workforce will become eligible for retirement in the next 10 years. That's nearly half of your employees. This next statistic says it all: Nearly half of U.S. employers are struggling to find the right people. Forty-one percent are struggling worldwide.

If this sounds scary to you hiring managers, it should. The problem isn't going to ease up for a number of years. This isn't just a shortage of "warm bodies." Many of the people available to work lack the skills needed by today's companies. So now you're scared and asking, "OK, what is the solution?"

The solution is as technical as the question.

Worker demand is increasing, Baby Boomers are retiring and there aren't enough people coming up to replace them. But there's another issue - a skills gap. Ample career opportunities exist, but there needs to be a focus on re-skilling and retraining our work force so we can bridge the gap between unfilled jobs and unemployed individuals. It's all about supply and demand, which leaves us with two options: Increase supply or reduce demand. The only way to reduce demand is to improve the productivity of your work force. That in-cludes taking advantage of technology and doing things better and faster.

Businesses have to partner with local schools to provide meaningful work-placement activities to give students a true taste of real work skills and prepare them for employment. They need to work with the Iowa school systems to ensure that their curricula match the needs of the local business community.

There are countless numbers of unemployed and underemployed people who are looking for work. They include disaffected youths, single mothers, people with disabilities, part-timers and older workers. Putting these people to work will involve training in basic work skills and an introduction to the best habits of the work ethic.

The magic pill for recruiting doesn't exist. It's going to take real strategic and analytical planning to overcome the talent crunch. It's one thing to recruit diverse talent. It's another to retain it. Women, older workers, people with disabilities and people of color are underrepresented in many work forces and are a tremendous source of talent. Set expectations and change your culture to one of inclusivity to integrate these groups into the work force. Invest more in work-based vocational and technical training to develop your own homegrown pool of suitable, qualified talent. If you're not up for the challenge, don't worry. There will be plenty of other places you can work.

Nick Reddin is the business development manager at Manpower Inc.'s Des Moines office.

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