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Executives at a recent meeting of the WPMA.
If you have good woodworking skills, which I assume you do if you’re reading this, and you’re still in the workforce but currently unemployed, you may be interested in this.
Recently at a meeting of the Wood Products Manufacturers Association, executives were asked to list their main business challenges. Nearly all listed the same three: finding skilled workers, tariffs, and problems in the trucking industry.
First, and most often cited, was the inability to find skilled workers with good work ethics. The reasons given were the low unemployment rate, so fewer people were looking for work; the poor work ethic of the younger generation (“What’s the least I can do and still keep my job?”); and the rural location of many businesses, so there were fewer people in the candidate pool.
Tariffs and trucking problems were beyond the ability of these executives to solve, but there were lots of suggestions addressing the work force. These included offering higher pay, creating more accommodating schedules, hiring ex-cons, offering incentives such as paying a portion of college tuition, and quarterly bonuses based on profitability.
One suggestion many of us would probably agree on is advocating for more woodworking courses in high schools and Vo-techs.
On one level these are societal problems that should be addressed. On another level, you may be able to take advantage of the situation to get a job.
