7.5 Million Answers to “The Labor Shortage”

Job openings remain near historic highs, according to new BLS data released this week: “The gap between job openings and hires reached its widest point ever. … Employers are desperate,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter. 

Despite the avalanche of news reports on the Great Resignation, the “labor shortage,” and the so-called skills gap, Opportunity@Work’s new Rise with the STARs report shows that almost 7.5 million STARs - workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes, like community college, partial college completion, military service, training programs, skills bootcamps, and on-the-job learning - have been displaced from Gateway and Destination jobs that historically offered the widest paths to career advancement and higher earnings. 

I recently discussed these findings with a panel of expert practitioners, employers, and STARs in a revealing and energetic LinkedIn livestream. Millions of STARs are performing in these jobs and doing them well - which means there are millions of proof points contrary to the biased fear of a “lack of talent.” Employers’ cognitive dissonance remains a barrier to success in today’s talent market, and an opportunity to win through inclusion. 

In the recent “Opportunity Wrap," Cheston McGuire gives an overview on how the pandemic and racial reckoning pushed employers to change the way they hire, how scalable apprenticeship models can be blueprints to opening up pathways to STARs, and how HR practitioners can use Rise with the STARs insights and data to source STARs more effectively. 

• “Degree inflation” is a problem for workers and “doesn’t work for employers” writes Karin Klein in the Los Angeles Times, adding that “COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement are proving potent forces that are starting to move the needle in the right direction,” for skills-based hiring and sourcing STARs. Klein adds that smart companies like Accenture, Google and organizations like OneTen are rethinking degree requirements and tapping into STARs. buff.ly/3HduasT 
• As employers and talent developers grapple with the “skills gap,” The Brookings Institution notes that paid apprenticeships like LaunchCode can create a ”more efficient and equitable transition to the labor market.” buff.ly/3AEX8Q5 
• In HR Dive: Human Resources and Workforce Management News, Ryan Golden cites the latest research from Opportunity@Work to demonstrate that employers can strengthen pathways and “expand access” for STARs by focusing on 30 jobs and “removing unnecessary requirements and investing in regional partners.” buff.ly/3IOJ8pA 

There are millions of people who have the skills needed to do the work employers need to succeed, or to learn to do it very quickly once given the chance. In fact, some of them may be in your own company today, and yet their valuable skills are overlooked for superficial reasons - like the lack of a bachelor's degree. 

Get smart, get skills, get going. #HireSTARs. 

 All the best,

Byron