The labor shortage is real, but it’s time to meet the problem solvers.
Unless you haven’t turned on your television since about the Summer of 2020 (by the way, you’ve missed ALOT), everyone is fully aware of the incredible labor shortage affecting nearly every industry across the country. Unfortunately, labor shortages are hitting the skilled trades industry particularly hard.
While there is much debate as to the cause(s) of the labor shortage, what we aim to focus on in this new series are the practical solutions and not politics or finger pointing. After all, even if every currently unemployed American and every person who has left the labor force since before the pandemic got a job tomorrow, we would still have 3.6 million open jobs.
Due to a combination of an aging skilled trade population, negative stereotypes surrounding the trades, COVID-19, supply chain challenges, and growing inflation, it is estimated the United States has a shortage of 4 million skilled trades workers, a number only expected to grow in the coming years. With such a massive mountain to climb, what can possibly be done to turn, if only slow this tide?
This is why we, at BlueRecruit, will be joining our friends at Zillow, to travel the country and meet the people working to train the next generation of skilled trades professionals.
Every two weeks, we will bring you a new group of students, teachers, administrators, and community leaders working to train the next generation of America’s skilled trades workers. The skills gap will not be solved overnight, but it’s time we start taking a bite of this growing elephant.