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Michigan’s projection data through 2026 shows a high-demand for many high-wage careers such as electricians, engineers, nurses and practitioners, therapists as well as managers and educators for all of the above! A source for those careers that may be overlooked are individuals working high-demand but low-wage occupations.
The pandemic created more demand workers in service and hospitality industries. Hiring signs boasting higher wages were flying everywhere for fast food restaurants, cashiers, and shelf stockers. These positions offered many people from high school age on up to seniors an opportunity to earn more than they may have previously with little skill or training needed.
But reality is setting in for these employees as they see little opportunity for advancement in their current low-wage positions. While a good start, most of these jobs do not support the increased cost of living and the labor is less valued by society. Forty-four percent of American workers are employed in some of the least appealing or most dangerous jobs available, typically for low wages and with little prospect for advancement.
For young workers, if they aren't on a pathway that has some prospect for advancement and economic security by the mid- to late 20s, the deck will get stacked higher and higher against them. Between 18-24 or 25, it’s very, very important to get launched into a career that supports a decent lifestyle, family formation, and economic security. Employers offering higher wages with benefits, work flexibility, and intrinsic job satisfaction can capture these workers.
Some of these potential employees can have roadblocks preventing them from making a job or career change. As a result of working for less than sufficient pay, employers should be prepared to encounter individuals that may rely on somewhat inefficient transportation or have a fairly long commute. Low-wage workers are often female, or may have caregiving obligations and are working hard to make ends meet. Between fatigue and other obligations, if they don’t have an easily accessible way to improve their skills, the avenues for them to acquire new skills to be considered for advancement are constrained. Employers can attract these workers by offering apprenticeships and other training opportunities for employees to consider advancement within their reach.
Another barrier can be the lack of a mentor or other invested adult taking an active interest in that worker’s progression, like a leader or a direct supervisor who says, “You’re a hard worker. Let’s talk about what your ambitions are. Here are the two or three things that, if you could do them, could lead to a higher-paying job here.” A big issue for a lot of low-wage workers is soft or social skills. It’s easier to verify technical or hard skills — they can either run a machine or they can’t. But what’s their capacity to deal with strangers or to work in teams with others who are unfamiliar to them? How polished are their spontaneous written and oral communication skills? Those are skills for which there isn’t a lot of training available, yet the absence of such skills is very often a significant barrier to advancement.
The single biggest draw for any business trying to attract new talent is word of mouth. Setting your business up to be responsive to the work barriers for all employees puts your business in a position to be talked about in the community as an employer of preference.
Below are some resources for helping assist workers in advancing their careers:
Clothing drive for workplace appropriate or job interview attire:
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Mid Michigan College is hosting a professional clothing drive. Clean, pressed appropriate clothing can be dropped at Student Services on the Harrison Campus April 24-26 or on the Mt. Pleasant campus on April 27. About | Clothing INC | Mount Pleasant
Transportation and childcare support:
Childcare assistance: The Tri-Share Program is an innovative public/private partnership that equally shares the cost of childcare between employers, employees, and the state of Michigan. MI Tri-Share Child Care Program Guidelines (michigan.gov)
Apprenticeships: Great business strategy for assisting transition of employees who need additional training with income.
For further information or assistance accessing any of the resources mentioned please contact, Carol McCaul, Employer Talent Pipeline Lead at cmccaulsps@gmail.com
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