Goal: Get more workers to fill thousands of Iowa jobs

Getting more workers to fill thousands of Iowa jobs is going to take a massive effort. It’s going to take educational programs to prepare students for the workforce, the recruitment of military veterans for jobs and helping immigrants gain employment in the state. Those were some of the top messages delivered Tuesday morning, Nov. 19, […]

Getting more workers to fill thousands of Iowa jobs is going to take a massive effort. It’s going to take educational programs to prepare students for the workforce, the recruitment of military veterans for jobs and helping immigrants gain employment in the state. Those were some of the top messages delivered Tuesday morning, Nov. 19, by Quad Cities business leaders during a workforce forum that attracted about 30 people.

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That forum – called Vision to Vitality – was presented by the Iowa Business Council (IBC) and held at the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ Urban Campus in downtown Davenport. The event looked at efforts to improve the workforce pipeline and some of the challenges facing Iowa businesses that continue to struggle to find workers to fill many jobs. In fact, an IBC report stated that Iowa’s shrinking workforce and small population growth will hurt long-term economic expansion in the state. “We want Iowa to be a welcome beacon of hope,” Joe Murphy, IBC executive director, said as he outlined some of the efforts to get people into jobs. Much of the forum centered on three local business executives answering questions and sharing their views on efforts to get more employees into jobs. The speakers were: Rich Dwyer, senior vice president of corporate affairs and enterprise with the KENT Corp.; Thomas Johnson, John Deere Davenport Works manager; and Jennifer Peterson, vice president - member and community relations for HNI Corp. Many of those hiring efforts discussed centered on education efforts – such as apprenticeships and internships – to get students ready for the work world. "We work with them to develop skills,” Ms. Peterson said about HNI’s internship programs. She added that the ultimate goal is to bring students into the company as interns, train and develop them and turn many of the young people into full-time employees. But before students become full-time employees, the area companies are faced with challenges. One of those challenges is to battle the old images of factory work.  Mr. Johnson said some students aren’t looking for that work because they have a mental image of factories from another era. Some still see factories as dirty, noisy and only having low-paying jobs. A big part of that battle is to show them that today’s factories are clean, high tech and they can make a good living at the factory jobs. “We are making progress. … We have to make connections with other people in the students’ lives,” he added. In addition to educating students, employers have to deal with several other factors to get young people into the local workforce. Mr. Dwyer said one of the biggest factors is getting young people to return to Iowa and to local communities.  In many cases, as soon as they get out of school, young people leave the region for opportunities and the excitement of bigger cities. Some of the ways to get them to return is to showcase the work and quality-of-life opportunities in the region. Mr. Dwyer said it’s also vital to provide quality and affordable housing in the region to attract new workers. Ms. Peterson said another challenge facing employers is access to childcare for its employees. Several people at Tuesday’s forum suggested the state can help solve this problem by lowering taxes on childcare businesses. The forum also featured some solutions for finding more employees. One of those solutions is to hire more military veterans. Dan Mitchell, former commander of U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Rock Island Arsenal and an audience member at the forum, told the speakers panel that they should look to veterans to file job openings. He added that the Quad Cities Veterans Network is a great place to make contacts with vets in the community. (That organization helps veterans network with employers and get jobs in the region.) Mr. Murphy also discussed the work of the IBC, which is a group of 22 CEOs and top executives from top employers in Iowa. The council is a nonprofit organization that has the mission of helping economic growth in the state. He also presented IBC’s annual Competitive Dashboard, which benchmarks Iowa against the rest of the country on a number of important economic indicators. While that dashboard shows “great optimism” heading into 2025, there are also points of concern, he added. Heading up those concerns are the state’s demographics, especially the state’s slow population growth rate of 1.4% in the past five years. “While we have remained stable, long-term trends are concerning,” according to the information presented by Mr. Murphy. Here is a look at the Iowa workforce data the IBC executive director shared:

• 2.9% unemployment rate in Iowa.
• The state has lost 22,700 people in the labor force over the past 12 months.
• The state has lost 56,100 employed people since January 2020.
• There are 49,400 Iowans currently on unemployment, and 54,000 job openings.
• Information from IBC also outlined the top professional skills employers are looking for in employees. Those skills include: communication and social engagement; organizational and service mindset; resilience and grit; and tolerance for ambiguity and change.

The workforce report concluded that there is “continued pressure on economic expansion opportunities long term with a shrinking workforce and stagnating population.” Vision to Vitality forums are held across the state to produce candid discussions between IBC members and local community leaders about Iowa’s economy and best practices for future growth.  Ultimately, these efforts foster statewide collaboration and strengthen Iowa businesses, said Mr. Murphy.