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:: Monday, October 10, 2005 ::

Labor Crunch Stalls Katrina Recovery - By Ben White, Washington Post
As people come back to New Orleans, they are finding they need much more than electricians. Those fortunate enough to own homes that were not destroyed by wind or flood need roofers, air-conditioning technicians, plumbers, carpenters, mold-removal specialists, flooring experts and general contractors. The problem is that while plenty of unskilled laborers are piling into town looking for cleanup and demolition work, there is a serious shortage of specially trained laborers.

Program trains rural Alaskans - KTUU, AK
Every year, there are hundreds of construction projects in Alaskan villages, totaling $140 million in value. But every year there's a shortage of skilled labor in those villages, so construction workers have to be imported from elsewhere.

That's been a sore point for Alaska Natives for a long time. After all, some of those rural villages have unemployment rates of 50 percent or more. And the people who live in rural Alaska know they can do the job. The problem is learning a skilled construction trade is expensive and so getting the training has been impossible for many of the people in Alaska's 288 rural villages.

A touch of gray - by Steve Berberich, Business Gazette, MD
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that if the economy continues to grow at its current rate, there may be a shortage of 10 million workers to fill available jobs by 2010, said bureau analyst Mitra Toossi. Workers between 25 and 54 are expected to drop to 66 percent of the workforce from 71 percent in 2000.

posted 7:35 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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