Don’t be fooled by Hamilton County’s impressive jobs and growth numbers – 10,985 new jobs and $3.2 billion in new investments over the past five years.
We say don’t be fooled – perhaps lulled is a better descriptor – because a look behind the curtain tells us it’s a precarious success story, no matter what we and our elected officials may want to believe.
The not-so-silver lining behind our historically low local jobless rate is the dark before tomorrow’s sunrise. After all, what happens to today’s jobs bonanza as aging baby boomers continue to retire and as demand for labor and technology skills increase in most jobs?
The answer we want to tell ourselves is that our children will take those jobs and soar. But the reality is that we’re already seeing the spectre of an uncertain future as our employers – old and new – tell Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and state economic development leaders that their biggest challenge is getting enough skilled workers and that today’s graduates are not coming to them jobs-ready.
We’ve already seen state officials rise to combat this problem with former Gov. Bill Haslam’s creation of Tennessee’s “Drive to 55” program, which aims to increase the percent of Tennesseans equipped with a college degree or certificate by the year 2025.