Month: October 2021

The skilled blue collar worker shortage is not new, but it should be a very large concern for any service business who wants to stay relevant for the future. Baby Boomers are retiring at a fast pace and leaving a void of qualified technicians/craftsmen in every occupation. Many baby boomers who worked in the trades for the last four decades have persuaded their children to pursue college degrees to have a perceived better career fulfillment, better pay, better working conditions, and cleaner working environments.

At a meeting a few months ago with my management team, I asked why they thought we were having trouble finding people to fill our production positions. I constantly heard about the unemployment benefits being the main reason. While everyone had various reasons for staying home, I realized that those that did want to work and were actively seeking employment were the types of employees who did not feel content to stay home and felt motivated to work. They were not thinking about the short-term gain but longer-term opportunities. This is precisely the type of people we want at our company.