Page 18 - LRCC June 2021 Focus

he battle to attract talent is not a new one for employers in Greater either withdrew from consideration due to the
Lansing. For the past several years, members of the Lansing Regional concerns for safety and unwillingness to take that
TChamber of Commerce (LRCC) have identified their ability to attract leap of faith that they must when changing jobs.”
and retain talent as their number one concern. Simply put, there are more
jobs than there are people to fill those jobs. “Many people are uncomfortable returning to
the workplace because of the pandemic and
The recently completed State of the Region Report (SOTR), a project want to ensure their workplace will be safe,” said
spearheaded by the LRCC, LEAP and 10 other business and education Carrie Rosingana, CEO, Capital Area Michigan
partners noted population growth in the Lansing region is very low, compared Works! “We’re advising our employer partners
to 11 thriving peer regions around the country. The population dynamic has to let employees know about the policies and
increased the challenges regional employers are facing when trying to lure procedures that are in place to protect them.”
talent.
“It’s clear there are many, many people who remain Rosingana
A strong economy fueled growth which in turn increased the demand for uncomfortable about COVID in general,” said
talent further. Then, in the midst of a growing talent gap, Covid-19 happened. James Farrell, executive vice president, people,
culture and communications, Dart Container
Thousands of workers were sent to the sidelines during the pandemic as their Corporation. “We have all the necessary health
businesses closed or laid off workers due to the slowing economy. Now, as the and safety protocols in place to protect our
economy begins to pick up and we begin to return to some sense of normalcy, employees, but that doesn’t quell all the concerns
businesses are having trouble filling jobs, which in turn hurts their ability to people have about getting COVID or being
keep up with growing demands for their products and services. around it.Additionally, issues around childcare
and enhanced governmental support programs
The Covid Impact have had a dampening impact on the labor
market for entry-level manufacturing jobs across
In the early days of the pandemic, employers who the country.”
were hiring had to shift to a remote process of Farrell
finding and interviewing prospective candidates. Dart Container has 25 plants around the U.S.
Covid-19 also created a number of barriers for including at its corporate headquarters in Mason. Farrell says it has been a
prospective candidates, which made hiring even huge struggle attracting and retaining entry-level and skilled trades talent in
more difficult. the company’s manufacturing facilities.

“It’s been a time of great uncertainty and “Over the last six to eight months, we had difficulty even attracting candidates,
unprecedented, rapid change. First, the question let alone getting them through the process and hiring them,” said Farrell.
of how long the pandemic would affect business “We are down nearly 20 percent from where we would like to be in our
– there was some organizations that thought a manufacturing facilities and I don’t see us getting there anytime soon.”
few months at most and continued to fill open
positions and others who that stopped all hiring Surline The Child Care Crisis
and began reducing staff,” said Todd Surline,
owner & CEO, Hiring Solutions. “Secondly, many candidates for positions The COVID pandemic also brought to the forefront the growing problem of

18 FOCUS / JUNE 2021 LANSINGCHAMBER.ORG 19