ESSEX JUNCTION — State officials say Vermont needs more workers and the governor is asking the Legislature to prioritize things that help address the workforce shortage.
According to data released by the state Tuesday, coronavirus cases in Vermont continue to increase. The state saw its seven-day average for cases increase 8.5% higher than the past week from 261 cases per day to an average of 283 cases per day. Vermont reported 156 more cases this past week than the week prior.
Hospitalizations from the virus continue to increase, as well. There were 51 people hospitalized with the virus Tuesday, six of them in the intensive-care unit. There were 40 such hospitalizations a week ago, along with six people in the ICU.
Nine people have died from the virus this month as of April 26, according to the state’s data.
But outside the economic impact it’s had, the pandemic wasn’t discussed much at Gov. Phil Scott’s regular news conference Tuesday. There was no update from Health Commissioner Mark Levine.
Instead, the news conference was held at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction where a job fair was taking place. The governor has been using his weekly news conferences to discuss his issues with what the Legislature is doing and to give his perspective and approach.
The governor asked Mat Barewicz, labor market information director at the state Department of Labor, to discuss the state’s workforce.
Barewicz said the 2020 Census hasn’t yet been completed, but according to data released thus far, the state saw its population increase from about 626,000 residents a decade ago to about 643,000 residents now. Barewicz said state officials had anticipated six out of the state’s 14 counties would show a population decline, but only three did: Rutland, Essex and Caledonia. He noted all counties are seeing a lower labor force than they did at their peak from 2010 to 2012.
He said while the population is growing, the labor force is shrinking.
Barewicz said the “prime” age of a worker is between the ages of 35 and 54. He said, in 2000, about a third of the state’s population fit in that group. By 2020, he said that group only made up about a quarter of the population.
He said, in 2000, those older than 55 made up less than a quarter of the population. He said that group now makes up over a third of the population.
Barewicz said older workers are a critical part of the state’s economy, and there needs to be a discussion about how best to support those workers.
“We’re hearing a new trend emerging right now in the labor force called unretirement. We had a lot of retirements during this economic downturn and its possible that we’re going to start seeing unretirements and maybe some more of those encore careers, individuals coming in to the labor force to fill gainful employment positions,” he said.
He said, in the mid-2000s, the state’s labor force was made up of about 60% youth aged 16 to 19. Now he said it’s below 40%. He said the state has had a low birthrate for several decades which has led to lower student enrollments.
Barewicz said the state also is seeing record high levels of job postings.
He said the state is seeing a high level of people leaving their jobs, a trend seen nationally in response to the pandemic. He said in Vermont during the past few months, for every three people hired at a company, two more quit their jobs there.
“You can see why this is the difficulty and the traction that we’re trying to gain as we go through this period of economic uncertainty,” he said.
The governor called the information presented “sobering.” He said he’s talked about the desperate need to reverse the state’s demographic trends since taking office.
“If we don’t right this ship, we’ll continue to see our workforce shrink,” Scott said. “That’s fewer nurses; child care providers’ contractors to build homes, roads and install utilities; truck drivers to bring them materials; grocery workers to feed us and pharmacists to help us with our health.”
The governor said every economic sector in Vermont is impacted by the state’s reduced workforce.
“That’s why anything we do and with every policy we consider, we need to be asking ourselves, ‘Will this help or hurt our workforce crisis?’ If the answer is it won’t help, then we should instead put it on the back burner and prioritize the things that will,” the governor said.
He said those attending the job fair at the expo will hear the same thing over and over, that there are good-paying jobs available, but employers are struggling to find workers.
He said the state has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use the federal funds it has received for pandemic relief. Scott said that’s why he’s been so concerned about the Legislature’s version of the state’s budget.
“We simply can’t afford to screw this up,” he said. “We’ve got to get this right because we’re not going to get a second chance.”
Scott said he and his administration will spend the final weeks of the legislative session continuing to push for investments that will help the state in the long term and not use one-time money to “Band-Aid” government programs.
eric.blaisdell
@timesargus.com
