Tomah Chamber & Visitors Center Newsletter November2018

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
CHAMBER
CHATTER
November 2018
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
It’s no secret that there is a significant shortage of people to fill job openings,
not just in our area, but the whole state. Wisconsin is at a record low 2.8%
unemployment rate. The workforce is aging and with many retiring and less
applying, we’re coming up short. Workforce agencies are traveling out of the state
to recruit more people to Wisconsin as well at working to attract more veterans
to the workforce.
Tomah is feeling the struggle of looking for staff to fill many vacant positions, as
well. The Tomah Chamber and Visitor Center, among others in our community,
is putting forth effort to help our city and surrounding area gain an edge in this
current environment.
In October, the Tomah Chamber and Visitor Center hosted a manufacturing tour
showcasing General Stamping and Sheet Metal, Usemco and Meadow Valley Log
Homes. The tour was a successful event that allowed participants to see the inside
workings of our area manufacturers and demonstrate the variety of jobs, training
and career pathways that the companies offer.
November 1, 2018 is the Workforce Summit with the Monroe County Workforce
Alliance and International Trade, Business & Economic Development Council
(ITBEC). A variety of speakers will come together at the Best Western Tomah to
present on topics such as employee retention, recruitment, creating a positive
work environment and the job market. All of these topics are helpful to human
resource staff, business owners and recruiters in our area.
The Tomah High School offers career readiness courses for students to gain the
skills needed to earn a secure job upon graduation or use that foundation to have
an upper hand as they move on to a post-high school institution.
While we are certainly experiencing a shortage of people to fill jobs, our area is
working hard to prepare and recruit the next generation employee and shifting
the paradigm of the workforce.
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