Handling Workforce Challenges Through Policy in Marion County
By: Commissioner Colm Willis
Originally appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of the SEDCOR Enterprise.
We have a lot of workforce challenges right now here in Marion County. There are many more employers that want to hire people than there are folks looking for work. This is a positive thing for employees in the area, because we have seen wages rise, especially at the lower end of the wage range. However, we would also like to see employers be able to have the number employees they need to produce the goods and services that they want to produce and that the market is demanding. Right now, we have a bit of an imbalance in that respect, as employers struggle to find employees who want to work.
We have had a struggle coming out of COVID-19 because the federal government basically paid people to stay home. And it seems like we have hangover from that experience that we may be able to help correct with some good policy decisions at the state level.
A couple of ways that Marion County has been working to support local employers during the current employee shortage is by working to accelerate opportunities and involvement of young people in the workforce. We’ve done this by supporting trade-focused organizations for youths like the Career Technical Education Center (CTEC), and with the Youth Wage Grant program, which covers $4 per hour of a youth’s wage if they are a first-time worker at a local small business. The goal is to incentive these businesses to give a young worker a chance to gain valuable experience, and it brings youths into the workforce.
We are constantly thinking about what the future of the economy will look like in Marion County. What does it look like to have ensure residents have the opportunities they need to be able to maintain a good home, a family wage job, and a secure retirement? For us, it means maintaining a robust employment situation across all of the industries represented in our county. We have many agricultural and forestry jobs here, we have a growing sector for manufacturing and tech jobs, the need for construction and trade work has increased, and we are obviously a major hub for government employment with the State, County, and City of Salem all headquartered here. We need to continue to hone an environment where people can be prepared and empowered to embrace these opportunities, and we equally need to ensure our local businesses are supported in providing these family wage jobs. That’s something we’re passionate about and will continue to focus on as county commissioners.