Dive Brief:
- Wisconsin is trying to woo companies like Foxconn with generous tax breaks. However, the state is already facing labor shortages which means it must attract talent from elsewhere, perhaps nearby states that have higher unemployment rates like Ohio and Illinois, Bloomberg reports.
- Maine is already doing just that, asking individuals who previously went to school or lived there to come back to well-paying jobs. Incentives for workers include paying off or forgiving student loans.
- Colleges are also facing student shortages, according to Bloomberg, as more millennials opt to skip college and head right into careers.
Dive Insight:
Factory jobs are proving difficult to fill right now, especially in areas that are already hurting for talent. When you combine that with the opioid crisis, employers are being forced to devise creative solutions, with poaching among them.
Experts have recommended that employers attempt to make such jobs more appealing to workers with improved workplace cultures. Tech-based jobs and training could be one means to that end.
Others are turning to veterans, who are already skilled in many areas of industrial work. And some have taken training into their own hands, partnering with local colleges to create apprenticeship programs.
