LYNNWOOD — Employers already facing challenges finding the right people to fill jobs can probably expect worse problems in the near future.
In 2000, about 11 percent of Washington’s workforce were workers 55 years and older, said Cynthia Forland, a director with the state’s Employment Security Department. Now, it’s doubled to 22 percent. That means a large segment of the population is nearing retirement age.
That graying of the labor force is hitting aerospace particularly hard, Forland said at Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s annual economic forecast this morning.
“We’ve got over 30 percent of the aerospace workforce that is 55 and older,” Forland told an audience of several hundred at the Lynnwood Convention Center.
While lots of job openings is usually a sign of a vibrant economy, employers are finding that many young people don’t have the skills needed to fill the openings, said Dale Peinecke, the state’s Employment Security commissioner.
“I guess with nearly 20 percent of your workforce nearing retirement age and the growing number of young people without significant work experience, this is not going to get any easier unless we redouble our efforts at workforce development,” he told the crowd.
Peinecke encouraged employers to engage with schools, colleges and workforce development councils around the state to help build a skilled workforce.
It’s a point that hasn’t escaped the notice of people seeking to develop the local economy, said Patrick Pierce, Economic Alliance’s president and CEO.
“Frankly, economic development is changing,” Pierce said at the event. “The way we attract jobs, it used to be just about creating a fertile environment for businesses to operate, but now it’s also about creating that environment to bring talent to your community so that businesses want to come here.”
He noted that Economic Alliance has partnered with Washington Alliance for Better Schools to work with schools, businesses and nonprofits to form the Snohomish STEM Network to promote science, technology, engineering and math skills for students.
Snohomish County’s unemployment rate stood at 5.7 percent in January, one of the lowest rates among Washington counties. The Employment Security Department surveyed employers across the state about what the state agency can do to help connect employers with job seekers.
“You said, replace your clunky old system with state-of-the-art job matching, so we’re doing just that,” Peinecke said. “In the next few months, we’ll go live with WorksourceWa.gov powered by Monster.com to provide private sector experience at a government price — and that’s free.”
But he emphasized that employers should work with schools and colleges and state agencies to help get a workforce ready for the state’s future needs. He said he was at a conference with economists and futurists who conjectured that 65 percent of today’s first graders will work in jobs that haven’t been imagined yet.
“We’re going to have to get significantly better quickly at evolving our education system,” Peinecke said. “I’ll return to my comment before and talk about how important it is for employers and the business community and all of you to get engaged in your local schools.”
Closing the skills gap will not only help employers, but also help the next generation, Pierce said.
“We need to make sure that first rung of the ladder is available to everyone to make sure that kids have the skills they need to access jobs and move their way up the ladder,” Pierce said. “I think that’s absolutely critical.”
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