• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Business / Iowa in grip of worker shortage

Iowa in grip of worker shortage

December 25, 2006 By admin

Iowa, like many surrounding states, is in the grip of a worker shortage. Workforce Labor Analyst Ann Wagner says while some people are still looking for work, it’s not as simple as matching any applicant to any job. “Every employer is looking for certain skills,” Wagner says, “and sometimes the certain skills they’re looking for are difficult to find, and there are just a wide range of shortages.” She names the construction trades, and healthcare, where they need registered nurses and pharmacists.

Right now manufacturing’s on the rebound and there are shortages in the machine trade where they need mechanical engineers. There’s a shortage of accountants and financial analysts and market-research analysts. Even in information technology, the computer programming field which for several years offered few jobs has the help-wanted sign out again.

Most jobs today require a certain level of skill and education, she says. After 1980, she says the opportunities diminished a lot for unskilled labor in fields like manufacturing where once they could find jobs. Manufacturing today requires skills, and the field hires a lot of people with college degrees. Wagner says the oldest members of the so-called “Baby Boom” generation turn sixty this year, and will soon retire.

Over the next several years we’ll see a surge in retirements by that generational group, and the following “Generation X” is much smaller in size. Not just the Baby Boomers, but all their expertise, will need to be replaced in the workforce. Wagner says the nation’s big railroads are already recruiting on college campuses to replace the Baby Boomers that make up a large portion of their workforce.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Employment and Labor

Featured Stories

Bill would limit placement of solar arrays on farm ground

Marquette casino moving to land, leaving only 2 casino boats in Iowa

Reynolds signs her ‘school choice’ bill into law

Governor Reynolds touts 2024 Iowa Caucuses in Inaugural Address

University of Iowa grad presiding over U.S. House Speaker vote

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

No coaching changes coming for Iowa football

Iowa State names new receivers coach

No. 2 Iowa visits No. 1 Penn State in wrestling dual Friday night

Iowa’s Clark brings increased exposure to women’s basketball

No. 18 Iowa State women visit TCU

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC