Local areas must strive to attract the best workers, study says

A new study published by the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Ventura County titled "Challenges and Choices: Closing the Gap between Unskilled Workers and Unfilled Jobs" was recently released.

The study focused specifically on the supply and demand for workers based on their education levels and forecasted changes in this supply and demand through the year 2015 based on three different future scenarios for the county.

"The study reveals that without a proactive policy to create opportunities for highly educated workers, the county will continue to export many of its highly educated workers, particularly young people, and import lower-educated workers," said J. Thomas Van Berkem, chair of the WIB.

Three future scenarios were used in "Challenges and Choices." Scenario one, with no change in housing or economic development policy, and scenario two, with increased housing supply and no change in economic development policy, create an excess of highly educated workers in relation to employer demands. According to the study, only scenario three, with a changed economic development policy, effectively increases the number of higher-wage jobs.

"Only by creating more high-paying jobs was the mismatch between jobs and workers alleviated," said Van Berkem. "Achieving more high-paying jobs will require much more intense, coordinated economic development activity."

Copies of "Challenges and Choices" can be purchased for $20 by calling Diana Davis at (805) 652-7684.

For more information about services sponsored by the WIB, please call Davis or visit www.wib.ventura.org.