Middle Tennessee has seen huge population growth in recent years, but business leaders say that growth is expected to slow down. That means there might not be enough skilled workers to fill the jobs in the region, according to a new study from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.
It’s almost the opposite problem of unemployment — too many jobs — but Chamber president Rob Schultz says it’s a serious issue. Companies only want to come here if there are people they can hire.
“This study means more to our ability to prosper in the next five to 20 years than almost anything else.”
The gap comes from the huge population of Baby Boomers retiring, while employers are creating more and more “middle-skill” jobs, as the study calls it — requiring less than a Bachelor’s degree but more than just a high school diploma.
The region has to make sure people are getting the training to fill these jobs, the study says. Businesses have to train their existing employees for higher-skilled work, schools need to teach more skills that businesses are looking for, and companies will have to hold on to some of those Baby Boomers a little longer.
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