The Workforce Isn’t Coming. We Have to Build It.

For years, businesses have talked about the workforce shortage as though we are waiting for something to change.

We are waiting for more applicants. Waiting for people with the right skills. Waiting for younger workers to enter the workforce. Waiting for someone to solve the disconnect between education and employment.

But what if the workforce we need isn’t coming?

What if we have to build it?

That question is becoming increasingly important for small businesses, manufacturers, healthcare providers, contractors and growing communities across Alabama. Workforce development is no longer simply an education issue or a hiring issue. It is an economic development issue, a business growth issue and, ultimately, a community issue.

The Numbers Tell the Story

The latest workforce statistics show that businesses are still struggling to find qualified employees.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business August 2026 Jobs Report, 35% of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill. That is well above the historical average of 24%.

Even more telling, 56% of small business owners reported hiring or attempting to hire during August. Among those businesses, 82% said they had few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill.

That is an important distinction.

Businesses don’t simply need more people applying. They need people who are prepared for the jobs that are available.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also reports that 23% of small business owners identified labor quality or availability as their single most important business problem in August. Historically, that number averages just 12%.

And small businesses matter tremendously to the overall workforce. A 2026 U.S. Chamber analysis found that small businesses have accounted for an average of 78.2% of hiring since 2001 and roughly 80% of hires since 2025.

When small businesses cannot find employees, the effects reach far beyond one company.

They affect business growth, customer service, expansion decisions and the economic health of entire communities.

Alabama Has Opportunity. Now We Need the Talent.

Here in Alabama, the story is not simply one of workforce challenges. It is also a story of tremendous opportunity.

Workforce Alabama reported in August that wage and salary employment across the state increased by 20,400 jobs over the previous year.

Private education and health services added 6,400 jobs, reaching a record employment level of 269,000. Construction and manufacturing also reached record-high weekly wages in July, with average weekly wages of $1,432.21 in construction and $1,389.75 in manufacturing.

These are careers that can support families and strengthen communities.

Alabama is also investing in alternative pathways to those careers. New initiatives are expanding access to short-term training, industry credentials, apprenticeships and career-focused education. Alabama’s new Workforce Pell initiative is designed to make qualifying short-term training programs for high-skill, high-wage and in-demand occupations more accessible.

And the conversation continues to grow. A new Alabama workforce initiative announced in September is focused on developing a talent pipeline for high-demand skilled trades including welding, electrical work, machining and other advanced manufacturing and industrial careers.

The jobs are here. The opportunities are growing.

The question is whether we are preparing enough people to take advantage of them.

Workforce Development Doesn’t Start With a Job Posting

Too often, we think about workforce development beginning when a business posts an opening.

By then, we may already be too late.

Workforce development can begin years before someone fills out an application.

It begins when a high school student walks into a local business for a job shadow and discovers a career they didn’t know existed.

It begins when a manufacturer shows students what modern manufacturing actually looks like instead of allowing outdated perceptions to define the industry.

It happens when a healthcare professional talks honestly about the many career paths available in healthcare, including those that don’t require becoming a doctor or nurse.

It happens when a business owner gives a young person an opportunity to work, learn and make a few mistakes.

And it happens when employers communicate with educators about the skills they actually need.

Those experiences matter because students cannot pursue careers they don’t know exist.

Businesses Have a Role to Play

Schools cannot build the workforce alone. Neither can government, community colleges, workforce agencies, chambers of commerce or employers.

It takes all of us.

For businesses, participating in workforce development does not necessarily mean creating a formal internship program or committing hundreds of hours.

Sometimes it means opening your doors for an hour.

Let a student shadow an employee. Speak to a class. Participate in a career fair. Offer a facility tour. Talk about the skills you look for when hiring. Explain what entry-level opportunities exist within your company and where those positions can lead.

Just as importantly, invest in the employees you already have.

Training, professional development and leadership opportunities help businesses develop talent from within. In a labor market where qualified applicants remain difficult to find, developing the people already on your team can be just as important as recruiting new ones.

Workforce development isn’t one program.

It is a culture of businesses, schools and communities continually creating pathways for people to learn, grow and work.

Building the North Jefferson Workforce

This is particularly important for North Jefferson.

Our communities are growing. Businesses are growing. New investment brings new opportunities, but economic growth requires people who are prepared to fill the jobs that growth creates.

That is one reason workforce development and education are becoming an increasingly important part of the work of the North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce.

Through programs such as North Jefferson Student Leaders, we are working to connect high school students with the businesses, leaders and opportunities that already exist right here in their own communities.

The goal is bigger than preparing students for their first job.

We want young people to understand that they can build successful careers here. We want businesses to have opportunities to meet the next generation of employees and leaders. We want educators and employers talking to one another. And we want to help create stronger connections between education, training and the real needs of our local workforce.

Because workforce development and economic development cannot be separated.

A company considering North Jefferson needs buildings, infrastructure and customers. But it also needs people.

A local business considering expansion needs capital and opportunity. But it also needs people.

And a community that wants to grow needs businesses capable of growing with it.

Again, that requires people.

We Can’t Wait for the Workforce to Arrive

There will not be one program, one organization or one funding initiative that solves the workforce challenge.

Building a strong local workforce requires a long-term commitment.

It means exposing students to careers earlier. It means recognizing that college, technical training, apprenticeships, certifications and direct-to-work pathways can all lead to successful careers. It means helping adults develop new skills as industries change. It means businesses becoming active participants in developing talent rather than simply waiting for qualified applicants to appear.

Most importantly, it means thinking differently about the problem.

Instead of asking, “Where are we going to find the workers we need?”

Maybe we should be asking:

“What are we doing today to build the workforce we will need tomorrow?”

The workforce isn’t coming.

We have to build it.