Victims low number of job of their own success, isle employers are finding slim pickings when they are in need of workers. The island’s robust economy,unemployment rate and high openings make this a workers’ market, even to the point, some
Victims low number of job of their own success, isle employers are finding slim pickings when they are in need of workers.
The island’s robust economy,unemployment rate and high openings make this a workers’ market, even to the point, some state, county and private-sector analysts say, that workers may be able to move up into positions they might not have even been considered for in the past.
“We’re pretty much at full employment,” said Beth Tokioka, director of the county Office of Economic Development. The challenges are many, including a long list of over 400 available jobs through the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) Workforce Development Division office that can’t be readily filled because of a lack of warm bodies to fill them, she said.
Things are so bad that some state officials are looking at devising ways to try to entice retired workers to reenter the workforce, even in part-time capacities.
Kaua‘i has the lowest percentage of high-school graduates who continue on to college of any of the counties (39 percent), but are those who don’t go to college ready right out of high school to enter the workforce? Tokioka asked.
Kaua‘i’s current unemployment rate of 2.8 percent (some employers see a 4-percent unemployment rate as “full employment,” meaning all those who want to work are likely already working) “presents us with some unique challenges,” said a spokesperson for the Workwise! Kaua‘i one-stop job center housed in the DLIR -Workforce Development Division office on Kuhio Highway in Lihu‘e. While there are over 400 positions open now, most between Lihu‘e and Kapa‘a, less than two years ago the average number of open positions was around 70 to 80, according to state statistics.
“Employers are already hiring people that would have been considered unemployable two years ago and, even at that, cannot even begin to approach full staffing,” the Workwise! spokesperson said.
While most of the jobs are in the service/visitor industry (including hotels, restaurants, retail sales and visitor-related activities), mainly entry level with pay only a bit better than minimum wage, there are also a number of professional opportunities available.
That’s good news for Rose Minjares of Lihu‘e and DeAna Owens of Kapa‘a, both seeking office jobs, Owens aiming high for an office-management position. Minjares currently works at Kauai Athletic Club, and Owens works part-time at Jungle Girl.
Another problem is growing employer frustration with being on what seems a treadmill-like cycle of search, hire, train, replace, as they are forced by existing conditions to hire under-qualified workers just to fill positions, a condition that leads to a turnover rate that is “painfully high,” according to the Workwise! source.
Mark Oyama, Mark’s Place, a restaurant and catering business, was complaining about the lack of suitable workers, according to Randy Gingras, president of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce.
Howard Dicus, of Pacific Business News, said the Kaua‘i job-market condition marks a great time for people to move up the career ladder, because they’re more likely to get a job that under other circumstances may have gone to a higher-qualified individual.
“Low unemployment is a good thing. But we’re basically at ‘full employment’ now, with hundreds of job vacancies and a shortage of qualified workers,” said Patricia “Pat” Fleck, administrator of the county’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program.
The Kauai Workforce Investment Board (KWIB), a volunteer group of community members representing small and large local businesses, private and nonprofit organizations, education, labor, and agencies supporting employment and training programs, has been working to address the worker shortage and other issues An entity under the county’s Office of Economic Development, KWIB members oversee the expenditure of federal WIA funding, and work closely with officials in the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to help fulfill the needs of job-seekers and employers.
The vision and mission of KWIB’s members is to have a workforce aligned with economic-development objectives, and which provides a globally competitive workforce that promotes a diverse and prosperous economy while preserving the island’s unparalleled quality of life. KWIB Chair Tom Cooper, who works for General Dynamics in Waimea, says that searching out new sources of labor and providing training opportunities tailored to the needs of employers are just two ways board members are trying to address the situation.
WIA Youth Council Chair Remi Meints of Alu Like, Inc. promotes high-school diploma and college-degree-attainment efforts of individuals, stating that gainful employment and job retention are goals toward self-sufficiency.
“Retired persons, high-school students and graduating seniors, persons with special needs who are not currently employed or are underemployed — these are all populations we can tap into and train if necessary to link up qualified people with the employers who need them,” stated Cooper.
More efforts are being made to give potential workers young and old skills necessary to immediately contribute to their new companies after being hired. “Employers continually stress how critical it is for job-seekers to possess these necessary work skills,” said Fleck.
