THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED. Driving is one of the hardest jobs to
fill in the United States right now.

If finding a job was a piece of cake, we would all be in a pretty good place. In a perfect world, jobs would be available for everyone – and everyone would be ready for a job. However, this is not the case. And just as some people might struggle to find job, some employers around the world and in the Chippewa Valley struggle to find qualified candidates. According ManpowerGroup’s 2013 Talent Shortage Survey – which polled nearly 40,000 employers across 42 countries and territories – 35 percent of employers are experiencing difficulty filling jobs due to a lack of available talent. ManpowerGroup, which was founded in Milwaukee in 1948, is an employment services firm that works with companies to help them find and hire qualified candidates.

The survey shows the top 10 hardest to fill jobs in the U.S. are: skilled trades, sales representatives, drivers, IT staff, accounting and finance staff, engineers, technicians, management/executives, mechanics and teachers.

According to the global survey, there are several noteworthy reasons why businesses are having a hard time finding qualified staffers: 34 percent said potential candidates lack technical competencies/hard skills, 32 percent said it was because of the lack of available applicants, and 24 percent said a lack of experience was a problem.

“We have a little bit of disconnect with candidates that don’t have all of those skills, maybe they could learn those skills, but employers need people now.” – Bethany Mathison, ManpowerGroupHowever, there is a light at the end of the tunnel here in Wisconsin – for those who are qualified, that is. According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, 24 percent of Wisconsin employers are looking to hire additional people during the third quarter of 2013.

For the upcoming quarter, job prospects seem to be the best in construction, durable good manufacturing, nondurable good manufacturing, transportation and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, information, financial activities, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and other services and government.

This is great. People can start finding jobs. The economy can get better, but there is a major roadblock.

Bethany Mathison, the Manpower’s director of business development in west-central Wisconsin, said job-seekers often make the mistake of thinking they are qualified for a job when they actually lack the skills it requires.

For example, employers in Wisconsin – including the Chippewa Valley – are struggling to fill customer-service jobs. Mathison said this is because there are many openings but not enough qualified candidates. There are additional skills people need now that they did not necessarily need before. “Now you need to have good math skills, you need to have good reading comprehension skills, you need to know how to measure things very accurately, because those types of mistakes in the manufacturing environment can be very costly to employers,” Mathison said.

Not being able to fill these jobs is hurting the local community. Mathison said society has become more demanding, and instant gratification is something people have become accustomed to. “It has a strong impact because some businesses will lose opportunity to work with other businesses if they can’t meet the demands or requests of their customers fast enough,” Mathison said.

Mathison said many businesses would love to train employees but they do not have the time.

“We have a little bit of disconnect with candidates that don’t have all of those skills, maybe they could learn those skills, but employers need people now,” Mathison said.

Being able to take one of these high-demand jobs often means the opportunity for a greater pay rate, said Mathison. These jobs need to be filled and are wide open for those who are skilled enough to apply.

“I think people have a lot of good potential,” Mathison said. “Many of these jobs – I would say all of them on the list – have a very good outlook and excellent wages also associated with them.”

It might be a bummer to find out that you are not skilled enough for a job that you really want, but with some extra time and work, you can change that.

“One of the things we like to recommend is for people to talk with somebody in that industry,” Mathison said. “Networking is the first step, and you can do that by trying to reach out to people on LinkedIn or talking with your friends to see if they know anybody.”

Mathison also recommended seeking further information on jobs from UW-Stout or UW-Eau Claire.

“The decision becomes something that you would need to make an investment in, in terms of additional education, trying to determine how do you balance that, are you going to continue work and pursue additional educational opportunities or are you going to go to school full-time,” Mathison said. A lot of schools offer financial assistance, and this is something people can take advantage of in the Chippewa Valley.  

So at the end of the day, don’t get discouraged if you feel like you are not qualified enough or that you may have to get further education to achieve your goals; you are not alone, Wisconsin.  

Alyce Coyle, Eau Claire branch manager for ManpowerGroup, said the market that the Chippewa Valley is in is not unusual.

“The people that are looking for jobs and the employers, they all know that these positions are hard to fill,” she said. “Whether it’s local or globally, it’s the same pretty much all over.”

WHO TO CONTACT

UW-Eau Claire
Non-trad website: UWEC.edu/nss
Call 836-3259 to set up an appointment with Bonnie Isaacson

UW-Stout
Website: uwstout.edu
To request info: 1-800-447-8688
Email: admissions@uwstout.edu

Chippewa Valley
Technical College
Website: CVTC.edu
Get started checklist: CVTC.edu/pages/1206.asp
Phone: 833-6200
Email: InfoCenter@cvtc.edu

Globe University (Eau Claire)
Website: EauClaireGlobeUniver-sity.edu
Phone: 855-6600
To have a rep contact you by email: eauclaire.globeuniversity.edu/request-information/