(Staffing Talk) -- Just the other day, the CEO of one of our occasional clients, Edward Gniewek of Bristol Compressors, made the news by speaking out about the lack of skilled workers to fill their positions. Gniewek said, “Tuesday, we had to operate the plant with 35 fewer people than what we need. It makes it very difficult for us to get the productivity out that’s required for us to fill our orders. When we look at our needs, it goes on beyond what we currently have and what we’re going to add in the near future. We are growing and we need to fill positions.” He added, "As the company grows, we will find a way to make compressors whether it’s here in Bristol or someplace else. We’re going to make compressors.”
This isn't just a veiled threat. Countless companies have been forced to shift some or all of their production overseas for lack of a skilled workforce. Our agency, among others, has scoured the countryside trying to help them find people, as we have for our other clients. It seems like everybody is in the same boat - struggling to find qualified workers willing to, well, WORK. Meanwhile, America's welfare and disability rolls are as large as ever and growing.