Creative hiring solutions for worker shortage

As employers are faced with the challenge of finding workers in what the state Department of Labor and Industry has described as a “looming workforce shortage,” elderly workers, people with disabilities and felons are being considered to fill in the gap.

These “untapped” minorities were the focus of discussion during a recent Brown Bag Series: Blueprint for Business Success session sponsored by Flathead Job Service. A panel of employment specialists presented hiring a diverse workforce, or “Tapping into the Untapped,” as a possible solution to the worker shortage.

“We wanted to address the issue we’re well aware of at Job Service, that many employers are struggling to find workers,” said Tim Frye, a workforce consultant with Flathead Job Service. “The purpose of this meeting is to make more employers aware of what’s out there.”

According to Frye, Flathead Job Service had 1,256 jobs during the peak season last summer — the most in its history.

“I don’t think you could drive or walk by Main Street without seeing ‘help wanted’ signs everywhere,” Frye said.

When he noticed a trend of felons, elderly people and people with disabilities looking for work, he saw a need to make more employers aware of the benefits of hiring these “untapped” minorities.

Chanda Hermanson-Dudley, bureau chief for Field Service for Blind Services and Vocational Rehabilitation, and Marcy Roberts, an employment specialist, both spoke about Vocational Rehabilitation, a program that helps people with disabilities find employment.

The program helps clients with creating resumes and cover letters, contacting employers and offers soft-skill training. Each client goes through a pre-employment screening that takes into consideration his or her medical, psychological and academic background. Clients are then assigned to a category based on their functional abilities to help determine which job would best suit their needs and abilities.

“Because we have a worker shortage in the valley and in the United States, people with disabilities, as a minority, are being considered more and more for employment,” Roberts said.

As an employment specialist, Roberts does on-the-job training with her clients. The training occurs prior to an official job offer, as part of what the program calls a work experience. During this time, the program pays the client’s wages at no cost to the potential employer.

Even after a client is hired, extended employment services are available, Roberts said.

“We don’t bail as soon as you hire them; we ask, ‘what supports do they need long-term?’” Roberts said. “Our goal is to have the person work in the community, to work in a room with able-bodied people and work with them as a community member.”

A September 2016 report from the Department of Labor and Industry stated that the number of workers over the age of 55 is also expected to increase due to many people choosing to work beyond the typical retirement age.

Chris Sidmore, a workforce consultant at Flathead Job Service and former manager at Wal-Mart, notes there are many benefits to hiring older workers.

Citing information from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry’s report, Sidmore stated that while 7,300 jobs are being created annually, only 4,500 new job seekers are entering the workforce — which is projected to lead to an unemployment rate of 2 percent or less by 2025.

Sidmore also said that by 2020, approximately 25 percent of the workforce will be over the age of 54.

A labor market that doesn’t utilize the workforce over the age of 54 is like trying to build the tallest building using only 75 percent of the building blocks available, Sidmore said.

Citing information from an article by U.S. News, Sidmore said elderly workers are also more likely to stick around and enjoy their jobs, with an overall satisfaction rate 60 percent higher than that of their younger counterparts under the age of 25.

“Who wouldn’t want to hire an employee who is satisfied with their job and who wants to be there? I think we’ve all had employees who are really just there for the paycheck until something else comes along,” Sidmore said.

David Castro, regional administrator for the Montana Department of Corrections, presented on yet another “untapped” source of labor — convicted felons.

Castro said within the probation and parole offices in Kalispell, Libby, Polson and Thompson Falls, there are over 1,400 individuals on community supervision who have employment requirements mandated by the District Court, a parole board or the Department of Corrections.

“These are community members who have made a mistake,” Castro said. “We want them to do well, we don’t want them to recidivate, which means a new crime, and a new victim.”

“The risk of employing a felon is no greater than the risk of hiring from the general pool. They know they have more eyes on them, they will try harder to prove themselves,” Castro said. “You’re getting a skilled employee to take a lower-level job, because they don’t think they can get better.”

The panel also noted that in hiring from minorities such as recently released felons and people with disabilities, employers are eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which according to the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration can be a maximum tax credit ranging from $1,200 to $9,600, depending on the employee.

For more information contact the Flathead Job Service at 758-6000 or visit the office at 427 First Ave. E. in Kalispell.

Reporter Alyssa Gray may be reached at 758-4433 or by email at agray@dailyinterlake.com.