Every hiring manager in every industry nationwide has felt it… the dreaded labor shortage. Unlike past history, however, data is coming out that is showing that this labor shortage is here to stay, maybe for another 15 years. The disparity between workers in their prime and workers preparing for retirement continues to grow at an alarming rate, and there is no easy fix. This is especially true in New England where the wage shortage is largest and the shortage of younger workers is also at an all time high. How do we combat an issue that on the surface has no easy solution? There is no state where this issue is bigger than in Maine. We continue to deal with an aging population and a brain drain of younger workers leaving the state for better and more lucrative work. No simple solution exists, but there is one stop gap measure that I believe can provide a short to mid term solution. As a staffing agency, I am going on the offensive in talking with my clients about raising wages and providing the most competitive health and fringe benefits one can afford. Wage increases are inevitable. At the state level almost every state in the nation is tackling the issue of raising wages and minimum rate standards. It is a forgone conclusion. The federal government is also crafting legislation to raise the national wage standards as well. It may not happen tomorrow, but I would be willing to bet wage increases will impact almost every state in the country by the beginning of 2017. So, how can we take advantage of this inevitability? We go to our clients TODAY and we explain the problem we have all felt - the labor shortage. It is not going away for a long time. Then we explain the strategy. Wages ARE going to increase, whether we like it or not. State and federal laws WILL make this a reality. So what is a company to do? As any innovative and successful company does, they make the trend, they don’t follow it. Today is the right time to begin to talk to every client you deal with about raising wages now to retain the best workers and to compete for the ones that are still available. By offering higher wages now, you have the opportunity to build loyalty and retain workers as the labor shortage continues to affect how we do business every day. By spending a little more now, companies can invest to build a loyal work force for years to come. Staying ahead of the wage battle that has already begun can give companies a long term advantage by securing employee loyalty as well as attracting hard to find skilled workers. It starts today… Time to have the difficult but necessary conversation about raising wages with every company you work with. Matt Noone – Managing Partner