Published: Monday, March 1, 2010
Shortage of skilled workers looms in health care, even construction
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Dan Bates / The Herald
Everett Community College Health Sciences Program director and instructor Beth Adolphsen (lower right) and students watch closely as student Heidi Lucas (left) attempts to execute pre-surgical procedures required to set up a tray without contaminating any of the tools and materials.
Job hunters just need to hang on a little longer — providing your definition of a little longer is a few years.
In 2013, skilled workers will be in high demand again. Washington state projections indicate there could be a shortage of trained workers in several fields that recently dropped workers into the unemployment line, including aerospace manufacturing and possibly even construction.
In the aftermath of recession, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many displaced workers will return to the same jobs once hiring picks up, but state data indicates there will be jobs for people with the right sets of skills.
For now, it’s just a matter of getting people trained. They could learn to become lab technicians, mental-health counselors and accountants. They could study how to repair mechanical equipment or keep airplanes in the air.
And just like right now, they could earn nursing degrees — mostly to respond to a rapid increase in demand.
“Not only is the general population aging, but the population of caregivers is also aging,” said Linda Tieman, executive director of the Washington Center for Nursing. “The opportunity for a career is great.”
Data collected by state and federal agencies shows the biggest dearth of qualified workers between 2012 and 2017 will be related to accounting and bookkeeping: an annual projected deficit of about 1,350.
The Skill Gap Analysis study was released by the state’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board earlier this year. It compares future demand in employment sectors with the output from universities, colleges and other training programs, then makes an insightful projection about which educational programs should be ramped up.
Most in-demand careers won’t fully recover to pre-recession levels by 2013, according to a statement from the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. That’s the year when demand will be about 8 percent above what training programs are producing now.
“It’s not like these demand numbers suddenly jump up to this point — they kind of slope up that way,” said board spokesman Tim Sweeney.
The data shows significant future demand in mid-level careers, meaning jobs that require specific skills and act as stepping stones to higher-paying jobs. Health services is one of those fields, with the state’s training programs producing 3,000 nurses a year. But a 25 percent gap is still anticipated for registered nurses, something Tieman attributes to limited capacity in training programs.
Only about 50 percent of interested applicants are accepted to nursing programs in Washington state.
“It is not an issue of lack of interest,” she said.
Given the volatile nature of the state’s economic climate, demand is uncertain in at least one field: construction.
“We had a shortage of skilled construction workers before the recession hit, and our projection shows we might have another shortage in upcoming years,” said Workforce board member Rick Bender. “But it does not account for the great number of unemployed workers in the trades who will be willing and able to return to work when the economy recovers.”
Sweeney said that for now, the state’s goal is to improve training opportunities in fields with high employment potential. Partnerships between high schools and employers have a history of success.
Emphasizing that some careers don’t require several consecutive years of school before entering the work force is key, Sweeney said.
“You don’t have to become a Ph.D. right off the bat,” he said. “You can take intermediate steps in your career and then move up into the next level.”
Read Amy Rolph’s small-business blog at www.heraldnet.com/TheStorefront. Contact her at 425-339-3029 or arolph@heraldnet.com.
In 2013, skilled workers will be in high demand again. Washington state projections indicate there could be a shortage of trained workers in several fields that recently dropped workers into the unemployment line, including aerospace manufacturing and possibly even construction.
In the aftermath of recession, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many displaced workers will return to the same jobs once hiring picks up, but state data indicates there will be jobs for people with the right sets of skills.
For now, it’s just a matter of getting people trained. They could learn to become lab technicians, mental-health counselors and accountants. They could study how to repair mechanical equipment or keep airplanes in the air.
And just like right now, they could earn nursing degrees — mostly to respond to a rapid increase in demand.
“Not only is the general population aging, but the population of caregivers is also aging,” said Linda Tieman, executive director of the Washington Center for Nursing. “The opportunity for a career is great.”
Data collected by state and federal agencies shows the biggest dearth of qualified workers between 2012 and 2017 will be related to accounting and bookkeeping: an annual projected deficit of about 1,350.
The Skill Gap Analysis study was released by the state’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board earlier this year. It compares future demand in employment sectors with the output from universities, colleges and other training programs, then makes an insightful projection about which educational programs should be ramped up.
Most in-demand careers won’t fully recover to pre-recession levels by 2013, according to a statement from the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. That’s the year when demand will be about 8 percent above what training programs are producing now.
“It’s not like these demand numbers suddenly jump up to this point — they kind of slope up that way,” said board spokesman Tim Sweeney.
The data shows significant future demand in mid-level careers, meaning jobs that require specific skills and act as stepping stones to higher-paying jobs. Health services is one of those fields, with the state’s training programs producing 3,000 nurses a year. But a 25 percent gap is still anticipated for registered nurses, something Tieman attributes to limited capacity in training programs.
Only about 50 percent of interested applicants are accepted to nursing programs in Washington state.
“It is not an issue of lack of interest,” she said.
Given the volatile nature of the state’s economic climate, demand is uncertain in at least one field: construction.
“We had a shortage of skilled construction workers before the recession hit, and our projection shows we might have another shortage in upcoming years,” said Workforce board member Rick Bender. “But it does not account for the great number of unemployed workers in the trades who will be willing and able to return to work when the economy recovers.”
Sweeney said that for now, the state’s goal is to improve training opportunities in fields with high employment potential. Partnerships between high schools and employers have a history of success.
Emphasizing that some careers don’t require several consecutive years of school before entering the work force is key, Sweeney said.
“You don’t have to become a Ph.D. right off the bat,” he said. “You can take intermediate steps in your career and then move up into the next level.”
Read Amy Rolph’s small-business blog at www.heraldnet.com/TheStorefront. Contact her at 425-339-3029 or arolph@heraldnet.com.
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