The national unemployment rate (nonfarm payroll employment) declined to 5.9% in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly employment report. Areas seeing job growth were professional and business services, retail trade (including food and beverage stores) and health care. Most people view the slow but steady decline in the U.S. unemployment rate as good for the country as a whole. But for employers in industries struggling to find skilled workers—such as the baking industry—a shrinking labor pool and more job opportunities in other fields could make hiring even more challenging.
“It’s ongoing,” says Kent Van Amburg, executive director, American Society of Baking (ASB), Kansas City, MO, regarding the shortage of qualified workers in the baking industry. “It’s a problem that’s been recognized by the industry for a long time.”