Building Workforce Connections: Constructing Utah’s Prosperous Future

BUILDING WORKFORCE CONNECTIONS

CONSTRUCTING UTAH’S PROSPEROUS FUTURE

Utah continues to be a place where people can build healthy communities and enjoy economic prosperity. The foundation of these opportunities is grounded in years of steady economic growth, sound policy and a culture of hard work. The American Dream is alive and well in the Beehive State.

A JOB CANDIDATE IN MIND

Construction is a ballet of labor and materials; done with artistry, it is a masterpiece. However, when a project is a mess, budgets spiral out of control and deadlines get missed, the whole dance falls apart.

Mitch McBride is the director of operations for Morin Construction, a large-scale framing contractor, and knows a thing or two about this dance. Morin erects the wood framing of buildings — usually big buildings — including multifamily housing, senior living facilities, hotels, hospitals and student housing. McBride is the first to tell you that in this type of work, success boils down to how well a project is managed and staffed.

“One day Mitch had this idea,” said Greydn Morin, general contractor and CEO of Morin. “He wanted to

reach out to the Department of Workforce Services and see if they could find a good, quality candidate.”

The Department quickly connected McBride to a potential candidate. The candidate had migrated to Utah from the Dominican Republic. After failed attempts at starting a career in finance, the field he worked in back home, he came to Workforce Services looking to find a job fast. Collaborating with his employment specialist, he decided to shift directions and train for a commercial driver’s license. A few weeks into his training he was sitting across the table from McBride, interviewing to operate a crane.

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING

The candidate was part of a statewide employment program called On-the-Job Training (OJT), which offers reimbursement to employers who provide customized job training. Under the program, Workforce Services helps employers screen applicants and, for those who are eligible, reimburses up to 50% of a new employee's training wages. And, at the end, the employer has a custom-trained, full-time employee.

During the interview, Morin and McBride got to talking with the candidate about his experience in finance.

“He could have worked out as a crane operator,” said McBride, “But we noticed he had greater value.”

What Morin needed was someone to organize its large-scale projects. After a brief discussion, he was hired as a project manager. A short time into the job, the new project manager noticed a more efficient way to manage the lumber and materials flowing in and out at Morin, helping identify a $200,000 overpayment right away.

“We’re a small, entrepreneurial company,” says McBride. "We need self-starters and he fits the bill. He kept asking questions about inventory, jumped into it head first and exceeded our expectations.”

SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYERS AND JOB SEEKERS

Workforce Services ensures this same type of meaningful assistance to job seekers accessing services in any of its 30 statewide employment centers or online at jobs.utah.gov. There are also targeted resources available to assist employers in their recruitment and retention efforts, including:

• Statewide virtual job fairs and onsite recruitments

• Database of 180,000+ job seekers

• Automatic job matching to qualified candidates

• Recruitment support

• Employer and educational partnerships

• Grants, incentives and tax credits

• Employee skill development programs

• Apprenticeships, internships and on-thejob training

KEEPING RURAL UTAH ROLLING

Millard County is 6,818 square miles of desert, mountains, farms and wide-open spaces. Its county seat is Fillmore, a town with 2,500 residents in the middle of the state. Traditionally an agricultural and mining community, the area has seen a shift to include manufacturing, transportation and distribution. Once a sleepy stopover, the town and the region are starting to buzz with economic opportunity.

David Busk, a Workforce Development Division assistant director overseeing the central and southwest economic service areas, has a frontrow seat to this economic evolution. For example, Golden Gate Gas was set to open a new truck stop in Fillmore and they needed to staff up fast. The Nevada-based company was unfamiliar with the local market, so Busk and his team jumped in and organized a local hiring fair by finding a venue and getting the word out to local job seekers.

“We know where the employment opportunities are,” said Busk. “Golden Gate was fully staffed and ready to open from that one event.”

A TRADITION OF ECONOMIC STABILITY

Throughout 2023, Utah continued its long-term trend of job expansion. The state’s economy exited the COVID-19 pandemic with low unemployment and steady job growth. The U.S. Federal Reserve, via raised interest rates, has been trying to slow the national economy for the past two years. To date, the Utah economy has resisted any slowing.

“Such dynamic job growth is beneficial to the Utah labor market. It provides ample opportunities for prospective workers to find employment and to sustain their wellbeing,” said Mark Knold, Chief Economist at the Department of Workforce Services. “The business community benefits from more people being employed, which translates into more people desiring and affording the goods and services that the business community offers.”

THIS IS THE PLACE

Utah continues to be a place where people can build healthy communities and enjoy economic prosperity. These opportunities are rooted in years of steady economic growth, effective policy and hard work. If you are interested in a career change or hiring qualified workers, start exploring your options with the Department of Workforce Services. Help is available at 30 employment centers statewide. Find more information at jobs.utah.gov.

* Statistics generated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., modeled from the October 2023 employer (employment) and household (unemployment) surveys.