In the busy city of Bowling Green, Kentucky, local community board, South Central Workforce Development, had a crucial discussion on taking their manpower to the next stage. Catching up this Thursday, they dove into phase three of their annual strategy- connecting with job seekers from diverse groups.
The sectors under the scope were dynamic. Discussions focused on New Americans – recent immigrants, young people aged 16 to 24 who are out of school or job, and the veterans. An interesting highlight was expanding the workforce for local employers. Their vision? Creating a more solid labor force that fills in the employment gaps.
Board president, Jon Sowards, gave us a glimpse of what the future might look like. He paints a picture where in just a half-decade down the road, there’d be a significant shift in the job market. This shift is a result of baby boomers, who are the backbone of the workforce, gradually leaving for retirement.
“Those baby boomers are still in our workforce, and they’re still propping up our workforce. I think inflationary pressures probably help them stay in the workforce a little bit longer than they would have otherwise. But in three to five years, they are going to move on through, and there’s simply not the numbers coming in behind them”, states Sowards.
On a more hopeful note, the board reckons that the “hungry to work” New Americans could fill this vacuum. Each year, their numbers in Bowling Green augment by the hundreds. A key challenge they face happens to be the language barrier, the solution to which might just be local businesses accommodating their linguistic needs better.
Accolades to the General Assembly for being beneficial pals. Kudos for gifting them funds recently. The board has plans to use it for launching a handy text-based platform. This technology is aimed at keeping in touch with the youthful job seekers and helping them find better job opportunities.
In summary, efforts are ongoing to increase the workforce’s efficiency in the city of Bowling Green, Kentucky. These steps aim at making the best use of the potential resources available within the city, especially among new immigrants, the young population, and veterans. Amid the challenges faced, the city is pulling together to create a more inclusive and stronger workforce. So, a power-packed labor force in future Bowling Green? We’d say that’s a decent possibility!
