Author: Lily Wu, KWCH Anchor/Reporter
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Businesses and organization in South Central Kansas continue to hire new employees.
“There are lots of opportunities out there right now. For a business looking (for employees), I know it’s a struggle. You need to do everything you can to raise your profile,” said Keith Lawing, president and CEO of the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas.
On the KansasWorks.com website, as of today, there are 61,957 job openings and 23,464 active resumes. On July 1, 2020, there were 29,563 job openings and 6,906 resumes posted on KansasWorks.com.
“We’re in a much better place than we were a year ago. Our unemployment rate has gone down tremendously. We have more people working. I think that’s the real key is that when you look at the employment numbers, from a year ago, we have about 10 to 12 thousand more workers in the workforce now, than we did back in the summer of 2020,” said Lawing.
According to the Workforce Alliance, which serves the 10 county Wichita/Sedgwick County area, in August 2020 there were 356,909 employed and 37,376 unemployed, for an unemployment rate of 9.5%. As of the latest data for July 2021, there were 371,463 employed and 23,323 unemployed, for an unemployment rate of 5.9%.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Kansas was at a peak in April 2020, just below 13%.
“The challenge is really matching up opportunity to what people want to do. I think employers are doing everything they can. They’re increasing wages. They’re signing bonuses,” said Lawing.
The Workforce Alliance currently has more than $2-million available for job seekers wanting to get into skills training programs. Currently, more than 700 people are active in classes or programs. Funds are available for short term and targeted training programs to obtain certifications for Commercial Drivers License (CDL), CNC Machinist, Network Administrators, Welders, Nursing and Registered Apprenticeship.
To learn more about opportunities for job seekers, click here
Wichita Workforce Center Virtual Multi-Employer Job Fair - September 23
Thursday, September 23, 2021 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
KANSASWORKS Virtual Statewide Job Fair - September 29-30
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 8:00 AM to Thursday, September 30, 2021 5:00 PM
More than 130 employers are participating with hundreds of open positions.
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