A new report is recommending a strategy to expand Arkansas’ workforce. It’s known as the Arkansas Workforce Strategy report. It came about from an executive order issued by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The overall focus is centered around training and job services.
Among those services is the creation of a statewide portal for job seekers. This new online portal will match the skills of job seekers with the needs of Arkansas businesses. According to reports from both the Arkansas Advocate and Little Rock Public Radio, the portal is expected to be a one-stop hub for accessing a wide range of resources. Arkansas Chief Workforce Officer Mike Rogers prepared the report, which made four recommendations.:
* To better align priorities among business and industry priorities, the Arkansas Department of Commerce should lead the effort.
* Aligning training and career pathways will help students learn applicable skills and competencies. Leading the effort should be the Arkansas Education Department in partnership with the Department of Transformation and Shared Services.
* To provide services for employers and job seekers alike, to allow both to achieve success by meeting their needs and goals.
* And fourth, support Arkansas’ regional strategic focus centers. Those centers will align with key industry strengths in place. [The report gives examples which include energy, forestry, healthcare, aerospace, and defense, along with firearm and ammunition manufacturing, et al.
The original deadline was October 1 to submit the report to the governor. But she extended the deadline. In a written statement to the media, Gov. Sanders said:
“Arkansas’ economy is booming, but if we don’t get workers off the sidelines and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow, we won’t reap the full rewards of that growth,”According to figures provided by the U.S. Labor Department, the state’s workforce totals nearly one and a half million people. After reaching a record low unemployment rate of 2.6% in the summer of 2023, by December the jobless rate stood at 3.4%.
