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Jobs: Current imbalance cannot be sustained

Current imbalance cannot be sustained

Noble County, Ohio, presents a perfect example of the complexity of the unemployment challenges faced by our communities. It ranks third in the state in unemployment — at 6.4 percent in April — yet is experiencing a labor shortage.

“The McDonald’s sometimes doesn’t open mornings except the drive-thru because they don’t have enough people. I get someone looking for truck drivers every day, and construction companies are always looking for people,” said Misty Wells, executive director of the Ohio Job and Family Services in Noble County.

There are two sides to the problem. “If you want to work, you can,” said Wells. But, “Most of the people who want to work are already working,” according to Richard Rutherford of trucking firm R.J. Wright and Sons.

Those who become unemployed in Ohio are not expected to accept work outside their normal expertise that pays significantly less than their usual occupation, according to Jobs and Family Services. And so, there are “hiring,” and “jobs available” signs all over Noble County (and other Mid-Ohio Valley counties). There is work in trucking, construction, oil and gas, plumbing, pipefitting, fast food, retail, food prep and others.

But when the Marietta local of Plumbers and Pipefitters offered apprenticeship programs – free training, good starting pay, no college debt – only three applications came in. When Job and Family Services held a job fair north of Caldwell, there were plenty of employers there to recruit, but only 10 people showed up.

Of course, one of the challenges is that many of these occupations require passing a background check and drug tests. But another may be generational differences in the attitude toward work.

“It’s quite an ordeal finding qualified drivers,” said trucking complex owner Rodney Rohrbaugh. “I’ve mostly hired older fellows drawing Social Security. They’ve got health problems, sure, and they can’t work as hard as a guy who’s 40, but they’re really good hands.”

In fact, for the 30 people Rohrbaugh employs, the average age is 60.

It may be time for everyone from high school guidance counselors to unemployment administrators to steer potential members of the work force toward training (and perhaps rehabilitation) that will put them into a real job, with a real paycheck and a chance to fill a real need for our economy. This kind of imbalance cannot be sustained forever.

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