CARIBOU — Following up on a successful business survey of employment opportunities conducted almost four years ago in the region, the Aroostook Partnership is once again gathering data on projected jobs, but this time officials are casting a wider net.
Partnership CEO and President Bob Dorsey said a recent labor report, which painted a disturbing picture of retirements and not enough potential workers to fill those positions, prompted him to reach out to the business community again.
According to the report, in 2012, the number of residents age 45-64 in the state’s labor force of 700,000 numbered 411,000. The majority of that group will be labor force “leavers,” retiring in the next six years. At the same time, 302,000 residents under age 20 will be labor force “entrants,” which is the cause of the 109,000 person gap between the two.
“That gap between potential labor force leavers and entrants is significant,” said Dorsey. “It gets your attention. We have got to get a better handle on how many jobs will be emerging.”
Dorsey said the survey will also help businesses think about the future and the employees they may be losing.
Unlike the previous survey, which only went out to the 50 largest employers in Aroostook, this less formal approach, is geared toward any employer in Aroostook County, regardless of size.
“In fact, we are only asking three questions this time,” Dorsey said. “How many employees do you have right now, how many do you plan on hiring in one year and how many projected in the next five.”
Dorsey encourages employees to factor in possible retirements, possible market shifts or expansion.
“So far more than 20 businesses have provided the information,” he said. “We keep company names private and only aggregate the information, so you do not have to worry about proprietary information getting out to competitors.”
Dorsey added the information will also be used to further the Partnership’s Education to Industry initiatives.
“If we can quantify how many jobs will be available it will be easier to convince high school students there are jobs in the region and moving away isn’t the only option,” he said.
Dorsey did stress that many of the projected jobs from the previous survey did indicate some level of post-secondary education was needed, from certificates all the way to advanced degrees.
For more information on the survey, contact Dorsey at 493-5769 or by email at rdorsey@nmdc.org.
