There are a LOT of jobs available that remain vacant for a long time because there aren’t skilled/ qualified/ available people to fill them.

This is a big US employment issue that should be part of all “jobs” punditry

Most “jobs talk” is really about lower- wage hourly work. It’s also about work that is accessible to the majority of non-degree holding USians, which makes sense since 70% of US adults lack a bachelor’s degree

It all varies by industry/ sector, of course, and definitely by location. But if we want to expand the conversation, we need to keep talking about how the US isn’t preparing people for the kinds of jobs that need to be filled at higher levels and what that means

And...pause... this isn’t about the “that job doesn’t require a degree” or “I can make $100k being a garbage man”. Have that discussion elsewhere bc it’s been beat to the ground

I’m speaking of the C-suite and middle to upper management positions that stay open

I can use Philly as an example of this very thing

The city now relies entirely too much of bringing in outside folks to fill those higher-skilled positions that require advanced degrees and years of experience bc it’s own schools aren’t doing a sufficient prep job+

Despite having a top Ivy League institution and a top public R1 school, Philly can’t keep college graduates here long enough to invest their edu & training into the city where they obtained it. It’s gotten better in the last decade tho https://www.phillymag.com/business/2017/06/01/campus-philly-college-student-retention-jobs/

A huge part of it is housing; Philly’s housing market and stock leave a lot to be desired. Developers have been grabbing lots and throwing up housing that is more appealing to folks from NYC and DC while overcharging locals. Still cheaper than NYC/DC, so folks coming buy them up

Another part *was* the lack of job opportunities outside of medicine and art, tbh. At the turn of the c, there was nothing keeping us here. Around 2010, folks started getting hopeful but still meh. The poverty rate is still too high, public trans sucks, etc

But what I’ve also noticed is that a lot of the jobs here go unfilled for months even years bc folks simply don’t have the stated qualifications and that needs to change.

For many folks living in poverty (26%) and deep poverty (13%) being a CNA or a Line Cook is a goal. Those are two extremely popular jobs here, particularly for poor Black residents.

How can we create more opportunities for them to become Nurses and Head Chefs?

Cities like Philly should be able to draw from its native residents, people whose families have been here for generations, to fill its vacant jobs bc relying on outsiders the way it does makes gentrification/ displacement inevitable

There are only so many retail and restaurant jobs companies can produce and yet those are the most sought after by folks who have not been given opportunities and resources to improve their skills and obtain higher ed

You know what else is a BIG industry here? Childcare. A lot of BW become business owners starting childcare businesses here. High poverty areas have tons of them, sometimes multiple on the same street. Philly’s pop is also considerably young compared to other large cities

So you’ll find a lack of jobs for workers at these centers but plenty of openings for the supervisors who oversee operations of these centers. See what I mean?

How do we fix this?

I came here four years ago and honestly knew I wouldn’t struggle to find work because the competition was low. And I didn’t. When I left my last job (and traditional workforce altogether), recruiters wouldn’t leave me alone. I still get weekly emails and contacts re: jobs

I worked with other orgs that went without CEOs and EDs for the longest

1. They weren’t paying enough
2. Housing here is
3. The gun violence and other high crime keep folks from wanting to move here
4. Folks move here and leave quickly after realizing they can’t hack it

So the city offers all kinds of tax abatement and deals for folks willing to come and develop housing and bring jobs but the housing and jobs aren’t going to local people. That’s hurting native Philly folks. The city has to fix that

It’s not going to bc Philly can’t get right
But if it wanted to it could:
*Add another train line that does an outer loop/bring trollies to NE
*Offer incentives for new businesses to hire locally
*Incentivize more edu pipelines not just for magnet/charter students

*Offer low-cost land purchases to developers (job/housing) who include plans to engage 25-50% of LOCAL ppl in their outcomes
*Offer more alternative edu opportunities for older students, parents of small children, disabled, returning citizens that are CITY-FUNDED

There are a LOT of higher-wage jobs in this city that aren’t being filled because they can’t hire from local pools and they can’t convince enough outsiders to move here without gentrification mindsets

So...IDK...just thinking aloud since I know it’s like this elsewhere