Fontana Dam – GREAT (Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team) held its first meeting since last year at Fontana Village Resort on March 17, with the keynote speaker addressing workplace challenges that have come as a result of the pandemic as well as other factors.
Robbinsville-based Josh Carpenter is the manager of existing industry expansion with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. During his keynote address, he outlined the challenges employers face in today’s economy.
The partnership is the sales and marketing arm of state government, focusing on business recruitment, small business support and tourism development, and existing industry support.
He said the agency can help local producers sell their products outside the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and Dubai.
“We try to bring new money to North Carolina,” he said.
Monitoring and responding to workforce trends is a key piece in economic development, he said.
There are three things to keep a watch for:
* Labor force participation rate: The percentage of working-age people who are actually working or actively looking for work. That percentage has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. At present 62.1 percent, down from 63.4 percent from the previous year. He said, “3.2 million people have to get off the sidelines and get back to work.” Another trend: retirees outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history, a trend not expected to turn around for the next century, he said.
* Child care costs and personal savings: This partially contributes to declining participation rates, in that many jobs don’t pay enough to cover child care costs.
A minimum-wage job ($7.25 per hour) pays just shy of $1,257 per month. Child-care averages $1,344 per month — per child. Carpenter said a parent would have to earn $22 per hour to afford child care for one child.
* Immigration: Carpenter said labor participation by immigrants increased from 6 percent to 18 percent, partially offsetting the over-all labor force participation rate. However, immigration has declined and there are 4 million work visas waiting for approval.
He said the key takeaways from these trends are: He advised communities to invest in schools “to create a skilled and agile workforce.” And he advised employers to create a flexible work environment that pays competitive wages with benefits.
Several people gave brief updates about the groups and agencies they represent, including:
* Angie Knight, superintendent of Graham County Schools, who provided updates on a $14 million expansion of Robbinsville Middle School which will result in a three-story expansion; the Taylor Hicks concert on May 7 that will help raise funds for a band project; and a project to create a coffee, sandwich, and imprinting shop planned in the old Veterans of Foreign Wars building on North Main Street that will provide work experience for Robbinsville High School students.
“We want our kids to be the most skilled, competitive citizens that we can produce,” she said.
* Lori Bailey, Nantahala Health Foundation, telling of health and wellness grants ranging from $5,000 – $50,000, with applications due in April for the larger grants and with rolling deadlines for the smaller grants.