Hey Yinz, I Hear Pants-N-At Is Hiring...

Hey Yinz, I Hear Pants-N-At Is Hiring…

Help Wanted

I had dinner with my younger brother this evening. I always enjoy getting together with him, he’s one of the most responsible people I know, we engage in heated discussions over politics and he works for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development; an organization devoted to stimulating economic growth and enhancing the quality of life for all here in southwestern Pennsylvania.

I’m not telling you all of this because I think you care about my family ties, but in the interest of full disclosure I want to make clear the connection I have with some of the resources and groups I will mention further on.

During the conversation my brother told me of his day, spent working with Executive Vice President of the Allegheny Conference, Bill Flanagan, and KDKA Radio personality Marty Griffin. They had spent several hours this afternoon doing a live show to talk about the incredible pool of employment opportunities that exist in our region.

I asked how incredible this pool really is, I mean, we are in a recession right now, right?

Over 20,000 Jobs Available Right Now – Over Half of These Paying $40,000+ per Year!

Oh, and Several Thousand Jobs Paying Over 100,000 per Year!

And These Are Just The Positions Which Have Been Listed Online!

That’s right, in the 10 counties that make up the southwestern Pennsylvania region, employers have a huge demand for help and are growing frustrated with the fact that they have to beg for people to come and apply.

That struck me as odd and I thought there must be something I’m not getting behind those numbers. I know people, some educated and some not-so-much, who say they can’t find steady work that pays a decent wage… so how can employers be complaining at the same time that they can’t find people?

The whole thing boggled my mind, so after dinner I jumped online and listened to the 2 hour radio show from KDKA, and sure enough business owners and managers, one after another, called in to the show and complained they couldn’t get people to fill their positions.

Jobs of all kinds from Pizza Delivery Drivers to Skilled Software Engineers are available all across our region.

One employer called in from a Dish Network call center in McKeesport and said he would hire 100 people tomorrow if he could get them. The jobs are full-time answering customer service calls, pay up to $12.50 per hour and come with benefits.

This is a Fortune 300 company in our region with solid entry level jobs, offering paid training, opportunities to advance, and they can’t get people to come in and work. (For anybody interested in this opportunity, their number is 412-675-4473)

It blew my mind! I listened to 2 full hours of employer after employer call in and say the same thing. Our region has plenty of opportunities,and with our aging population the number of opportunities is going to continue rising around here for some time to come.

Just as our region has out performed most of the nation in the Housing Market in recent months, it appears we’re doing just as well (or better) when it comes to employment opportunities.

In fact, during the broadcast Bill Flanagan pointed out that in September-October of 2008, just a few months ago and while the rest of the country was losing jobs left and right, our region set an all-time record for employment. Higher even than during the height of the Steel Industry.

Where we may be lacking is in people who are willing to put their shoulder to the wheel and take control of their own fate.

Of the folks who are applying for many of these jobs it seems many don’t have some of the essentials almost any employer is going to require, like a Driver’s license, the ability to pass a Drug Test and either a High School Diploma or GED.

And for many of the jobs that do require special skills or training, there’s lots of free opportunities to get that as well.

In fact, there are currently thousands of good jobs in the Building and Industrial Trades area that can’t be filled, and there are places like New Century Careers where people can get the training needed at no cost.

To see that the jobs are really out there, you can visit ImagineMyNewJob.com, a free resource from the Allegheny Conference that goes out and finds all of the available online job listings from the 10 regional counties and puts them together in a single place for job seekers.

We Have Good People Who Need Jobs, And Good Jobs Open, What’s The Problem?

Beyond those few people who just never seem to be able to get their acts together, I think there may be a social communications disconnect out there.

Despite being a news junkie and having this deep personal attraction to all things Pittsburgh (it isn’t just a Summer Fling), until this evening I had no idea that a web resource like ImagineMyNewJob.com existed for job seekers. In fact, if I were looking for a job my first stops would probably be the local papers (poor resources that are getting worse) or a national classifieds site like Monster.com because I wouldn’t have known there was something so specific to the region available for me to use.

This shouldn’t imply that local leaders and organizations aren’t doing enough to get the information out there. In fact I think groups and organizations like the Allegheny Conference are doing a heck of a job, but there just seems to be a missing connection between the streams they’re putting the information into and the streams that Johnny Doe is getting his information from on a daily basis.

I think it is a condition of circumstance rather than a failure on anyone’s part. Which is why I thought Marty Griffin’s “Job Fair” broadcast and this piece was so important, especially at this time, to share here.

If you need work, or know somebody who needs work, or work with teens or young adults who need to know that opportunities exist, please share the links and information provided here.

Parent and teachers, especially at the high school level, if you can’t talk all of your children into furthering their education with college, at least give them a fighting chance by informing them of the trades training programs available out there.

These are tough times, and even with all of the opportunities that exist in the region today there may not be something for everyone right now, but there are good jobs for qualified people who are willing to do the work waiting, and training programs to take advantage of for anyone willing to learn a new skill.