At the March quarterly meeting, a task force for industry growth was developed with the goal of securing the short term and long term future for our industry relative to skilled labor. On October 2nd, Leigh Ann Thacker with Top Shelf Lobby, along with Betty Whittaker, and Logan Hanes of KMHI met with the Kentucky Department of Education and Workforce Development. They shared great resources and contacts with the KMHI team. The task force met via conference call on October 9th and an action plan was created.

Every week in Kentucky, there are between 125,000 and 145,000 job openings in Kentucky with only 32,000 individuals actively seeking new employment opportunities. To say that there is a labor shortage, would be an understatement. The competition for skilled labor is at an all-time high. This has required the acquisition of individuals, with the desire to learn our industry, from non-traditional sources. 

To achieve this, the plan will be for KMHI to build relationships with organizations representing high school / trade school students, career centers, soldiers processing out of The U.S. Army, and formerly incarcerated individuals. Once these relationships are established and there are available action items for its members, KMHI will pass than information along. This will provide short term and long term solutions for those that are having a difficult time securing the necessary labor that our industry requires.