A task force that’s been working since late 1999 on the state’s workforce policies has released its final report. Personnel Department director Molly Andersen says the task force had a big job facing the current worker shortage and the impending retirement of a lot of aging state workers.Andersen says the state is the largest employer in Iowa, but faces the same issues as other employers today with more jobs than workers. She says they need to hire more handicapped and minority workers and have a much more active recruitment program.Andersen says the Personnel Department task force had to look at the available workforce in the state, how it’s changing, and how to make sure enough people come forward to fill state jobs. One recommendation is to track the workforce better and upgrade retention programs.The task force also recommended looking carefully at groups of workers overlooked before, like the handicapped, and making sure they can find and perform jobs that need to be filled.
