Louisiana Plastic Industries, a plastic product manufacturing company in West Monroe, is a leading employer in North Louisiana. But it has struggled in recent years to fill open positions and has found it particularly challenging to find workers who would maintain the companyβs large machinery.
βWeβve experienced the same recruitment and retention challenges other employers have experienced as well,β said Deion Hemphill, Louisiana Plastic chief financial officer.
Louisiana Plastic isn't alone. Companies across the state are feeling the effects of a workforce shortage that has hampered growth efforts for years and could intensify, as Louisiana prepares to meet about $98.1 billion in industrial projects. Skilled industrial labor demand is expected to peak at 120,000 by the third quarter of 2027, according to data from the Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance.
Now, a new partnership between state agencies and organizations is hoping to make recruitment easier for Louisiana businesses.
The Business Workforce Solutions pilot program establishes a framework for the state to address employersβ needs, as Louisiana ramps up to meet the labor needed for industrial projects and shortages of health care and skilled trades workers. The stateβs eight economic development organizations will serve as points of contact for businesses in need of employee recruitment, retainment and training support, reducing the number of entities employers contact when seeking help with their workforce.
The organizations then work with the initiativeβs other partners, Leaders for a Better Louisiana, Louisiana Economic Development and Louisiana Community College and Technical System, to find a solution, which could include promotion of certain job opportunities or refurbishing the stateβs certification and training offerings. A goal of the initiative is to prevent employers from having to reach out to all parties individually.Μύ
Louisiana Works Secretary Susie Schowen said state partners tend to overlap in outreach to employers to learn about their challenges in attaining and retaining employees. The initiativeβs framework identifies a point of contact and consistent set of expectations for employers when they consult state partners to help them procure talent, she said.Μύ
βCoordinating that into a single open door for the employers to walk through is ultimately what we're trying to do,β Schowen said. Μύ
The redundancy issue in employer outreach also led to a concentration of attention toward larger companies, she said, and the initiative aims to address the needs of small to mid-sized businesses.
βThis just puts a framework around it that assures that there are open lines of communication, that there are good ways to share information received from employers to the people who can actually do something about it,β she said.Μύ
Demand for workforce supportΜύ
The framework builds on Gov. Jeff Landryβs Project Lightning Speed announced in September, which appointed liaisons in the governorβs Cabinet to state agencies in an effort to streamline business-related processes. Landry has also vowed to make the state, which , the most high-growth economy in the Southeast.Μύ
A document outlining how the state will achieve its economic goals identified as a challenge for state talent.Μύ
Last year, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois embarked on a tour of the stateβs eight economic development areas to garner feedback from businesses on how the state can assist their growth. A straightforward process for workforce development was among the responses, according to Tedra Cheatham, executive director of LED FastStart, the agencyβs workforce recruitment, training and retainment program. Μύ
LED will ensure the response from partners in the initiative leverages regional strengths and theΜύ.Μύ
βBusinesses consistently shared the need for a clearer point of contact, stronger coordination among workforce and education partners and solutions that better reflect the pace and realities of hiring,β Cheatham said in an email. βThat feedback informed the design of this initiative.βΜύ
'A natural fitβΜύ
Trey Godfrey, the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnershipβs senior vice president of talent development and policy, said the initiative will address the common pain points for employers, from upskilling their current employees to creating a talent pipeline into their company.Μύ
It builds on the organizationβs existing duties: The partnership meets with about 140 companies each yearΜύto learn about their needs to inform the legislation that the organization advocates for. In the , the partnership pushed for workforce training programs, including the M.J. Foster Promise Program, a financial-aid program for adults pursuing degrees needed for high wage, high demand jobs.Μύ
Chris Masingill β president and CEO of Louisiana Central, an economic development organization for central Louisiana β said the initiative will quicken the organizationβs response time to connecting employers with resources for workforce development. Louisiana Central already has a close relationship with Central Louisiana Technical Community College and works with business leaders on a daily basis, he said, so the organization serving as a point of contact for the initiative was a logical choice. Μύ
βIt was a natural fit for us to step up and be a conduit,β Masingill said.Μύ
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