The Pathway Forward: Workforce

Sunday, October 3rd, 2021

As the region surveys the damage incurred by the pandemic and the economic disruption, many businesses and institutions are thinking about the best way forward.

To assist in that process, Pattern has convened several working groups of its board members to discuss and determine what happened, and to suggest what might be done in response. Pattern, as an organization, selected four priorities for immediate action as the region is set to move forward. The findings in this report reflect the collective wisdom of Pattern as an organization, representing leaders throughout the region who believe these issues are worthy of regional attention. The set of targeted recommendations and strategies outlined in “The Pathway Forward” are derived from the many issues presented by the pandemic that are urgent and require immediate attention. These identified priorities are not meant to be definitive or exclusive of others that have arisen.

Pattern considers the set of strategies included in “The Pathway Forward” as a vehicle to shine light on primary issues and spark action. This report should be viewed as Pattern’s first effort to react to the changes brought upon the region by the pandemic.

Pattern believes this stage of the “recovery” is aligned with the “K-shaped” theory predicted by some economists. A K-shape theory is the uneven and often inequitable path of economic recovery across different industry sectors and demographics. There is great disparity among socio-economic cohorts, with some thriving and others struggling post-pandemic. Adopting this perspective informs these strategies and recommendations contained in this report. Priorities may shift, as further social and economic impacts of the pandemic arise and the federal stimulus funding to support the recovery is better understood.

With these caveats in mind, Pattern suggests the region immediately needs to focus on the following four areas – Workforce, Housing, MAIN STREET Hudson Valley and the “Digital Valley.” While these topics could stand- alone, they are also deeply entwined.

GETTING BACK TO WORK is priority one. Both the pandemic’s impact and the K-shaped recovery suggests special attention needs to be focused on those hardest hit. This is not going to be easy, as some of the most affected sectors such as small business, retail, and hospitality and tourism employ a disproportionate number of black and brown workers for whom re-employment has not occurred.

There is no other aspect of the post-pandemic world that has been so disrupted. It will take years to establish new business models.

The integration of:

• technology,
• the growing concept of remote work,
• the re-alignment of skillsets,
• supply chain issues leading to delays in production,
• the lack of housing, and
• social and economic inequality,
• all combine to create enormous uncertainty in the workforce.

As traditional work hours and place of work has changed, an “equilibrium” has yet to be defined. This creates additional challenges for the post-pandemic workforce.

To address this, Pattern has worked with the economic development and workforce leaders in the nine counties in our footprint to create the Job Connection Task Force (JCTF). Pattern is grateful for the participants in this effort, as they have embraced the mission of the JCTF to improve the region’s workforce as it relates to economic development. The workforce development officials have many programmatic challenges in providing employment and training services. The economic development leaders are faced with an equally daunting task – to integrate new and re-establish existing businesses throughout the region. It is critical for the workforce development programs to be elevated as an equal partner with the region’s economic leaders to ensure their efforts to attract and retain jobs are matched by the ability to recruit and supply the same. The JCTF is focused on a unique concept – building a regional workforce.

The region’s workforce needs to adjust to support the most prominent industry sectors. The region needs to ensure training and apprenticeship programs are in place to better position new employees for longterm success in the workforce.

Finally, greater emphasis must be placed on preparing high school students to enter the workforce. For approximately 50% of the region, high school is the last step of their formal education. By adjusting existing programs, the region has the opportunity to help students achieve better outcomes. For those who desire, and can afford college, higher education remains am important alternative.

For the 5 years preceding the pandemic the average # of job openings was approximately 6.4M as of July 2021 there is a staggering 10.9M.