Fact: Politicians, all politicians, from both parties, promise more jobs, better jobs, increased pay, and anything else they think will garner them votes.
Fact: None of the politicians have any idea what’s really going on or what to do.
Help wanted is very common
It’s a fact of life these days that a majority of businesses can’t find enough good workers with the emphasis on the word good (as in skilled, competent, will show up for work every day, etc.). Not just in big cities like Seattle but in small towns I’ve been to over the last couple years. Signs abound seeking workers.
In December 2019 the Wall Street Journal had an article titled, “American Factories Demand White-Collar Education for Blue-Collar Work.” The article summarizes what I regularly see, an increase in advanced machinery, more production with fewer workers, and the need for smarter workers. The article is filled with statistics, which I won’t repeat here, and the bottom line is, from large firms like Honeywell, Caterpillar, and Harley-Davidson to small businesses, more is being done with less, as the following graphs from the article show.
Education
My mother was a teacher, many of my parents’ good friends were educators, so I grew up in a culture of education (you can imagine the repercussions when I misbehaved in school, i.e. disrespected a teacher). So it’s no wonder I’ve given a lot back via my Rotary projects in schools.
Want people to have better paying jobs, give them the training and education to get them. A couple years ago we had a speaker at the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club whose organization was (is) trying to get our educational system to emulate the European system by getting kids who aren’t going to go to college into a trade program sooner versus later. An alternative to graduating high school with no interest in college and no real job skills. It’s why I admire companies like Dick’s Drive-In and Starbucks that pay for higher education for their workers, even though they may use that education to get a different job.
It’s a technology world
Technology is really what it’s all about. Not just code writing or playing games but knowing how to use technology on the job. The WSJ article states not only has the manufacturing industry dramatically increased the ratio of capital to labor, but they’ve had double-digit growth of jobs requiring “complex problem-solving skills” versus a decline in jobs requiring the least amount (of complex problem-solving skills). In fact, over 40% of manufacturing workers now have a college degree, almost as many as those with a high school diploma or less.
One of the members of my Rotary Club is with a company using technology (artificial intelligence actually) to match people, employers, and careers. When you get people doing what they like (love) they’ll be better employees, change jobs less often, and be more productive. As the WSJ article said, in a quote from a plant manager, “If you want to be one of those people [who want to just punch in and punch out every day], you won’t be successful here.”
Conclusion
This is why I added “Show you can attract and retain great employees” to my list of what business owners should do to make their business more attractive to buyers. It’s why one of the important skills a buyer can have is to be successful at team building. As I often say and have repeatedly written in my newsletters, business buyers aren’t really buying the company, they’re buying the people.
