Want More Skilled Workers? Create Them

Invest in better pay, more flexible work arrangements and training.  JL

Jonathon Trugman reports in the New York Post:

Stop all this corporate complaining how hard it is to find qualified workers. The solutions are simple: Offer more pay, and/or more or flexible hours. Invest in the future of your business while at the same time investing in the future of your employees. Yes, training is expensive, especially for the highest-skill jobs.But in exchange for the training, you could require a commensurate commitment. (And) if a company has bona-fide needs for valuable, skilled employees due to high demand, it should offer more pay.
The addition of 213,000 jobs in June along with May’s 223,000 number are being revised to 244,000.
The data over the last six months have described a healthy employment trend we’ve not had in well over a decade. A strong second quarter gross domestic product reading at the end of July will help validate that our economy is continuing in the right direction.
The irony of a good economy is that the folks who are hiring have now become particularly picky. They claim they just can’t find enough “qualified” workers.
That’s a high-class problem if ever there was one, and in most cases there are simple solutions. It’s just going to take some work by the whining complainers.
The first order of business is simple: Raise the pay you are offering for said unfilled job.
Obviously if a company has bona-fide needs for valuable, skilled employees due to high product demand, it should offer a little more pay.
If a business needs 16 more factory workers to meet demand due to new orders it’s worth it to raise the specialized manufacturing line hourly wage from $30 to $35.
You may get half the applicants you need from the outside workforce. And then you could offer overtime to those you already employ who want to boost their paychecks.
And there’s another wonderful solution: Invest in the future of your business while at the same time investing in the future of your employees.
Yes, training is expensive, especially for the highest-skill jobs. And yes, it can run into the tens of thousands of dollars in certain cases.
But in exchange for the training, you could require a commensurate commitment.
For example, if you need to hire welders, and you can’t find any that meet your qualifications, advertise that you “will train” or “will pay for certification.”
You will be likely to attract a good number of long-term unemployed looking to retrain for the modern workforce.
By sending them to vocational school with a formal agreement to come work for the company upon certification and tuition reimbursement or direct payment, you are forging a long-lasting connection between your company and a person who could use a little help.
So let’s stop all this corporate complaining how hard it is to find qualified workers.
The solutions are simple: Offer more pay, and/or more or flexible hours.
And offer training in exchange for a commitment from people who will grow your firm