Share your thoughts: Talent shortage in the North Bay?
Do you think there is a talent shortage in the North Bay?
- Yes (30%, 16 votes)
- No (61%, 33 votes)
- Don't know (9%, 5 votes)
Total voters: 54
Loading ...This NBBJ Pulse Poll runs through Aug. 14. View all polls.
Nearly 50 percent of employers across the country are facing difficulty filling “mission-critical” positions, pointing to a labor shortage that experts say is having an impact in the North Bay and beyond, according to a recent survey.
While this year’s response is better than last year’s, which was 52 percent, a large number of employers face hiring challenges despite high unemployment rates.
It’s occurring in the North Bay, and it impacts a number of industries, but it has particular ramifications for the manufacturing, engineering and technical industries. [For more, see "Survey: 50% say they can’t find right candidate," Aug. 6.]
Ask just about any manufacturing company CEO about their No. 1 challenge and it is finding qualified people. We are at a moment when people desperately need jobs but lack the skills employers need. In just Sonoma County, the manufacturing group 101MFG estimates companies will need 2,000 employees over the next five years as highly skilled baby boomers retire. …
The North Bay is not alone in this challenge. Nearly a third of small business owners nationwide surveyed by the Wall Street Journal and Vistage International, a peer group for senior executives, said they had unfilled job openings in July because they could not find applicants with the right skills or experience. [For more, see "Skills gap: High joblessness, labor shortage," July 27.]
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by Jan
If this is true, than how come my husband who is experienced and highly skilled in Hydraulics/Pneumatics/electronics/ cannot find work here in Sonoma County? Most companies don’t even want to pay him half of what he earned before we moved up here.
by J.Gadberry
Are these the same corporations who decided it was no longer cost efficient to train and promote their own employees? That it was cheaper and easier to poach trained workers away from competitors with higher salaries and bonuses, creating a massive wealth gap between labor and management and dooming thousands of people to menial jobs that they’ll never have the opportunity to train out of? And now, because they refuse to “waste resources” by training their employees, they can’t find good workers?
Gee, I feel sorry for them.
by Walt Mueller
Please now, there are many many talented people here in and around Sonoma County…. Remember the saying “build it and they will come”? Well you just need to get the word out where the jobs are or where to apply! We are not interested in temp jobs… WE want our old jobs back with fair but reasonable pay!
There is much talk of not enough talented recruits well sames goes for where are the job postings at ???
by Lynn G.
We have loads of talent in Sonoma County. What we are short on are realistic employers. Job postings are so specific that no one qualifies. On the off chance someone does qualify, the pay is significantly less than the position is worth.
I have an MBA with a solid resume and missed out on countless opportunities because I didn’t have some obscure capability. I definitely have some intersting unemployment stories…..