The Pacific Coast Business Times solicited this article from REACH for its annual Spirit of Small Business report.
There’s a lot to celebrate about the Central Coast economy. Low unemployment, steady growth, a diverse base of industries from agriculture and tourism to aerospace and technology — all powered primarily by small business.
But there’s one complaint we hear over and over as we talk with companies across the region: difficulty hiring the people they need to operate and expand.
It’s a long-standing issue exacerbated in this post-pandemic economy. And it’s one that leaders from higher education, workforce development, public and private sectors across the Central Coast have come together with new urgency to address.
This promising momentum is guided by new research on the region’s talent landscape conducted by fellows and affiliates of the Brookings Institution and similar policy research groups. And while the focus is at the systems level, the findings provide insight for employers navigating a tight labor market.
Here are a few ideas:
Adopt skills-based hiring
Consider the true requirements of the job. Is a degree necessary if someone has demonstrated skills? The Central Coast has a diversity of qualified workers and focusing on skills rather than credentials will widen your pool of potential hires.
Consider on-the-job training
Could the right candidate be trained to do the job, either in-house or through an outside program? Take a page from the SLO Partners apprenticeship program playbook: Screen for attitude and train for aptitude.
Maximize your hiring pool
Ensure your hiring strategy includes actively recruiting from underrepresented groups, including veterans, retirees, and people with disabilities. Get in touch with community organizations who can help make these connections.
Encourage employee referrals
Incentivize employees to refer candidates by offering bonuses or other rewards for successful hires. Encouraging your team to bring in people who will be a good fit will further strengthen your company culture.
Call on your community college
Some will connect you with qualified candidates, or interns who develop into future hires. Some design custom training programs. Some have grants for industry projects. And sometimes these inquiries lead to whole new programs, such as the aviation maintenance program Cuesta College launched in partnership with ACI Jet, or the cleanroom technician training offered through a collaboration between Santa Barbara City College, UC Santa Barbara and local semiconductor companies. These institutions are a valuable community resource.
Reach across the region
Remote working has exploded over the last four years. But that doesn’t mean you have to hire in Ohio or some other far-flung location — the Central Coast is a vast region with tens of thousands of potential hires an hour or two drive’s away. Could they come in for a day or two a week and work from home the other days? This is a great option for companies that value in-person connection and collaboration but don’t actually need everyone on site every day.
Every business, and every position you hire, is different, and you may need to experiment with these approaches to find what works for you. Simply posting on Indeed or LinkedIn doesn’t cut it these days.
A couple last thoughts on the larger landscape of talent development: For one, ensure you’re investing in your people and providing them with opportunities for growth, both to boost retention and build your own pipeline of mid- and high-level talent.
And perhaps most importantly, engage in collective efforts to help close the region’s talent gaps. This can take many forms, from serving on an industry advisory board at your local college to supporting chamber of commerce programs and advocacy to plugging in with others in your industry on potential shared strategies. And stay tuned as regional-scale approaches and interventions develop. Business leadership and input on talent development is critical to the region’s long-term competitiveness and success.
