Good Employees Still Hard To Find…

Good Employees Still Hard To Find…

Despite the higher unemployment rates, employers are still having difficulty filling their open positions. According to the 2012 Economic Outlook Survey conducted by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, 43% of the Wisconsin CEO’s surveyed reported a shortage of qualified applicants.
With so many unemployed one would expect that there would be several qualified applicants for every open position. So why is there a labor shortage? The problem may be as much of an applicant/employee training issue as it is a job creation issue. One manufacturer looking to fill 134 entry-level jobs paying $15 per hour received 850 applications, but only hired 17 of the applicants. Many lacked a high-school diploma, or could not pass basic reading, math, or dexterity tests. Others failed the drug or alcohol test.
In a weak economy the labor pool becomes larger and finding employees may be easier, but finding the right employees remains a challenge.