Flathead has 'more jobs than people to fill them'

On this Labor Day jobs are in abundance in the Flathead Valley, even as September ushers in the typically quieter shoulder season for visitors.

July’s unemployment rate of 3.9 percent is the lowest in nearly a decade, said Laura Gardner, manager of Job Service Kalispell. Anyone who wants a job should be able to find one.

“We have 1,044 jobs listed,” Gardner said last week. “That is a lot, especially with 3.9 percent unemployment. There are more jobs available than people to fill them.”

Help-wanted signs still are prevalent in newspaper ads and posters in store windows. Employers in every sector have a hard time filling openings, Gardner said.

It’s not as simple as simply getting hired, both for people moving to the area and for local residents. Affordable housing is an issue. Workers intending to move to the Flathead for work first have to contend with a tight rental market and housing prices that often outpace their wages.

“Child care is an issue, too,” Gardner said. “It’s hard to find and very expensive. It’s another reason that might keep folks out of our area.”

Theresa Fisher, branch manager of LC Staffing’s Kalispell office, said that office is busy with all kinds of hires, from clerical positions to manufacturing and everything in between.

“Every one of our recruiters is busy,” Fisher said. “Employers need qualified, reliable candidates, reliability being a key word.”

About 300 of the local job openings are with Kalispell Regional Healthcare, the Flathead Valley’s top employer, according to Montana Department of Labor statistics.

“Health care is still big,” Gardner said, but added that across the board hiring is strong in all job sectors, from construction to service-industry jobs.

With a continued demand for skilled labor, the popularity of apprenticeships has grown, both locally and nationally, she said.

“We need to find a way to train up people to get skills employers need,” Gardner said. “Apprentices can earn income while learning.”

Flathead Valley Community College, which has had its ear to the ground for years in determining what local employers need, started an apprenticeship program this fall to train students for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning jobs.

Montana’s outdoors industry is a big driver for employment throughout the state. During an outdoors roundtable discussion recently that included Sen.Jon Tester, D-Mont., he pointed out that public lands bring $7.1 billion to Montana’s economy annually,and support 71,000 jobs.

Ironically, the busy job market comes at a time when a tight state budget has forced the closure of several Job Service offices. Seven offices have closed, with the last four in Hamilton, Anaconda, Dillon and Lewistown. Prior to that Job Service centers in Livingston,Glasgow and Shelby closed, forcing job seekers who need assistance and resources provided by those offices to travel longer distances to the next available office.

Job Service Kalispell is operating with four fewer positions than it had two years ago, Gardner said. When someone leaves, a new employee can’t be hired, she added.

While job posting can be done online, Job Service offices provide one-on-one services that include teaching prospective workers how to fill out applications, prepare for job interviews and create a resume.

“You lose employer connections, too,” Gardner said about the Job Service cutbacks.

The Flathead Valley is making progress in wage growth. During an economic update hosted by the Montana Chamber of Commerce in July, Paul Polzin, director emeritus of the University of Montana Bureau of Economic Research, said Flathead showed a 6.73 percent in wage growth last year, much stronger than the statewide wage growth rate of 1.9 percent.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.