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Nebraska’s workforce shortage in all sectors continues to be the number one concern of business leaders and economists.While construction and expansion are visible everywhere, especially in Omaha and Lincoln, so are the help-wanted signs.There are an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 jobs available in Nebraska. “Manpower is the number one issue,” said Platte Valley Bank’s chief operating officer Zac Karpf. Karpf is a member of the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board.The board sets projections on state tax receipts that lawmakers use to craft a balanced budget.The workforce issue and drought were the only dark clouds on an otherwise bright economic forecast at the board’s Wednesday meeting.”With as low as our unemployment rate, it’s hard to find those people. We need to import them from somewhere or clone them. But that would be the only headwind that we really have,” said board member Leslie Andersen.Mike Boyle, the president of operations at the Kawasaki Plant in Lincoln, said they have experienced that.”We have an opportunity to advance our state, the total economic condition of our state, if we have the workforce,” Boyle said.The Lincoln plant has undergone a $200 million expansion and trying to add more than 500 more employees.Kawasaki had considered building another plant in Nebraska but chose not to because of the worker shortage.”We were really concerned about the total potential hiring that we could do here. So we did not open that plant in Nebraska,” Boyle said.And maybe nowhere is the workforce shortage more critical than in the health care industry.”We need people to take care of people. And it becomes really challenging when we don’t have those empty chairs filled on our teams,” said Bryan Medical Center CEO Eric Mooss.Mooss said currently, they have about 360 open positions that include clinical staff and support staff.”Despite the workforce challenges that we’ve seen, we’ve not stopped, stopped providing services or restricted services in any way,” Mooss said.But he fears other smaller rural hospitals might be, as the shortage worsens.”People are coming to Bryan Medical Center from across our state, really into northern Kansas, northwest Missouri, southwest Iowa, because they’re not able to get the care in their local community,” Mooss said.Both companies have stepped up retention and recruiting efforts. And offered increased pay and other incentives.”We’ve also put in place tuition reimbursement, student loan forgiveness,” Mooss said. Boyle said it’s going to take a statewide effort with everyone on board.”The business community alone can’t do it. The government can’t do it alone. Schools can’t do it alone. We have to come together,” Boyle said.Nebraska Chamber of Commerce President Bryan Slone believes in addressing the labor shortage, state, community and business leaders need to focus on several key areas, including:Keeping young people from leaving the state. Working with federal leaders to come up with immigration reform.Boosting the University and state colleges.And helping businesses update their technology to become more efficient and attractive to young people.Get the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7
Nebraska’s workforce shortage in all sectors continues to be the number one concern of business leaders and economists.
While construction and expansion are visible everywhere, especially in Omaha and Lincoln, so are the help-wanted signs.
There are an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 jobs available in Nebraska.
“Manpower is the number one issue,” said Platte Valley Bank’s chief operating officer Zac Karpf.
Karpf is a member of the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board.
The board sets projections on state tax receipts that lawmakers use to craft a balanced budget.
The workforce issue and drought were the only dark clouds on an otherwise bright economic forecast at the board’s Wednesday meeting.
“With as low as our unemployment rate, it’s hard to find those people. We need to import them from somewhere or clone them. But that would be the only headwind that we really have,” said board member Leslie Andersen.
Mike Boyle, the president of operations at the Kawasaki Plant in Lincoln, said they have experienced that.
“We have an opportunity to advance our state, the total economic condition of our state, if we have the workforce,” Boyle said.
The Lincoln plant has undergone a $200 million expansion and trying to add more than 500 more employees.
Kawasaki had considered building another plant in Nebraska but chose not to because of the worker shortage.
“We were really concerned about the total potential hiring that we could do here. So we did not open that plant in Nebraska,” Boyle said.
And maybe nowhere is the workforce shortage more critical than in the health care industry.
“We need people to take care of people. And it becomes really challenging when we don’t have those empty chairs filled on our teams,” said Bryan Medical Center CEO Eric Mooss.
Mooss said currently, they have about 360 open positions that include clinical staff and support staff.
“Despite the workforce challenges that we’ve seen, we’ve not stopped, stopped providing services or restricted services in any way,” Mooss said.
But he fears other smaller rural hospitals might be, as the shortage worsens.
“People are coming to Bryan Medical Center from across our state, really into northern Kansas, northwest Missouri, southwest Iowa, because they’re not able to get the care in their local community,” Mooss said.
Both companies have stepped up retention and recruiting efforts. And offered increased pay and other incentives.
“We’ve also put in place tuition reimbursement, student loan forgiveness,” Mooss said.
Boyle said it’s going to take a statewide effort with everyone on board.
“The business community alone can’t do it. The government can’t do it alone. Schools can’t do it alone. We have to come together,” Boyle said.
Nebraska Chamber of Commerce President Bryan Slone believes in addressing the labor shortage, state, community and business leaders need to focus on several key areas, including:
Keeping young people from leaving the state.
Working with federal leaders to come up with immigration reform.
Boosting the University and state colleges.
And helping businesses update their technology to become more efficient and attractive to young people.
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