David Milliron, ICMA-CM on LinkedIn: Rural Towns Are Aging, Cash-Strapped and in Desperate Need of Workers (2024)

The challenge of both finding and affording workers faces small governments scattered around the U.S., and often forces staff to pick up the slack, Jon Kamp reports.Lendell Tarr, the recreation director of Ashland, Maine, runs the tiny town’s sports programs and drives Little Leaguers to away games. He also cleans the town office, takes seniors out for meals, mows the cemetery lawn and can pitch in driving ambulances and school buses. The challenge for Ashland: Tarr is 65 years old and says that “fishing is calling me.” Town manager Cyr Martin can’t imagine finding enough people, or money, to fill the void. “He just can’t retire,” Martin said. “There’s no way I could have another Lendell doing the lawns, the bus driving.”Federal data show the public-sector workforce outside metropolitan areas skews older, which increases the pressure to replace retiring workers. Local officials and government associations in many states say they face a persistent challenge to find qualified employees who want to work in a small town’s office.Rural areas have long struggled to hang onto—or recruit—young residents launching their careers. Small-town officials say they face particular hurdles when it comes to offering competitive salaries to compete for workers.What steps should rural communities take to address the aging of their workforce?🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/enMVE-Rj

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As young workers increasingly opt for opportunities in larger cities or different fields, it creates a #generationalgap in #publicservice, especially as #babyboomers retire. The consequences of this #staffingshortage are serious. Some towns are forced to consolidate services, overburden existing staff, or even rely on retired employees. This not only compromises the quality of public services but also puts a strain on the #localgovernment and its #workforce.To address this issue, small towns need to become more attractive to young workers. This may involve offering more #competitivesalaries, providing opportunities for #professionaldevelopment, and highlighting the unique benefits of living in a smaller community, such as lower #costofliving and a stronger #senseofcommunity. It might also be beneficial for local governments to partner with #educationalinstitutions to create pipelines for #youngtalent into public service roles.

I recently had the opportunity to reflect on an insightful article from The Wall Street Journal, “Rural Towns Are Aging, Cash-Strapped and in Desperate Need of Workers,” which truly resonated with my experiences in Marcellus, Michigan. It highlights the struggles small towns face in maintaining essential services and attracting younger workers.In Marcellus, we see these challenges every day. Our population is approximately 1,200, with many residents falling into the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) category. This means nearly 2 out of every 5 people in our town earn more than the Federal Poverty Level but not enough to afford the basics. This economic hardship is compounded by our local government’s reliance on a limited tax base.The article mentions individuals like Lendell Tarr from Ashland, Maine, who take on multiple roles to keep their towns running. In Marcellus, we too rely heavily on dedicated community members to fill gaps left by insufficient staffing and resources. Our local government and public-sector workforce, much like those in other rural areas, skew older, increasing the pressure to replace retiring workers with younger generations who are often hard to attract and retain.Despite these immense odds, there’s a powerful belief that can guide us: We are all in this together. It's crucial to combat the "Us versus Them" mentality and focus on unity. We need to weed out malice, distinguish it from misfortune, and work together to find solutions.As I wrote in my recent Letter to the Editor of the Marcellus News, our love for our community doesn't blind us to its problems. Instead, it motivates us to have difficult conversations, challenge ourselves, and collaborate to build a better future. We must diagnose the context of our problems, recognize our limitations, and leverage our collective strength.By listening to each other, acting with empathy, and working collaboratively, we can address the pressing issues our rural towns face. This won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight, but together, we can create sustainable solutions and foster a thriving community.#RuralDevelopment #CommunityBuilding #EconomicDevelopment #LocalGovernment #MarcellusMI #TogetherWeThrive

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Be sure to read this important Wall Street Journal article on the budget and workforce struggles facing rural communities. The story cites MissionSquare Research Institute’s new research that indicates increasing salaries is one of the various strategies state and local governments have employed to help ease their recent hiring challenges, but also finds upcoming retirements will put more strains on jurisdictions. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/gmqNyfAS#workforce #stateandlocal #recruitment #retention #HR#RuralAmerica

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Be sure to read this important Wall Street Journal article on the budget and workforce struggles facing rural communities. The story cites MissionSquare Research Institute’s new research, which indicates that increasing salaries is one of the various strategies state and local governments have employed to help ease their recent hiring challenges. However, the research also finds that upcoming retirements will put more strains on jurisdictions.Read the article: https://lnkd.in/gmqNyfAS#workforce #stateandlocal #recruitment #retention #HR#RuralAmerica

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Small towns across the country are grappling with labor shortages, but what if the solution isn't just about the jobs? It's time to think outside the box and consider what sets your town apart. One game-changing area to focus on: housing.In today's market, affordable housing is a rarity. Imagine if your town could offer reasonably priced homes. If potential residents knew they could move to your town and purchase a home, the likelihood that they'd seek local employment first would skyrocket.Affordable housing isn't just a benefit; it's a magnet. It's an opportunity for small towns to attract talent, stimulate the local economy, and foster a thriving community.Let's rethink our strategies. By addressing housing affordability, we can transform labor shortages into growth opportunities.#LaborShortage #SmallTownSolutions #AffordableHousing #EconomicGrowth #CommunityDevelopment #Rethink #Labor The Wall Street Journalhttps://lnkd.in/g9qbmgdr

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Interesting article about rural America finding it difficult to hire. Larger question for me as someone in suburb of a major metro area, is what is happening long term to rural America? Young people want to be around other young people, and it seems like they are still looking to move to the cities or live close by to them? https://lnkd.in/eZrAys5E

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Lendell Tarr's story is representative of the high degree of labor shortage in small-town America. At 65, he's willing to do the job of 3-4 workers, but he deserves to retire in peace with a clear conscience and enjoy the fruits of his labors. Instead, he's torn, knowing few applicants are applying to fill his shoes, and the pressure is great to stay on as long as he can to support his community.Succession planning is the elephant in the room in so many organizations. Get started on this important journey as soon as you are able. The next generation of workers have chosen to work differently and already have more options than previous generations, with remote work, the gig economy, social media business models, and contracting. Let your staffing partners know the plan 12-18 months ahead of time to collaborate on a strategy before it's too late. The benefit of a 3-6 month overlap for training, mentoring, and passing the baton to create a seamless transition is a priceless gift to all parties. Furthermore, it sends a message to those most loyal to your organization that you value their knowledge and specialized skill, enough so to be proactive vs. reactive.https://lnkd.in/gbVYNugm

This is an ongoing problem, and demographics is only exacerbating it. There's a perception that young people are striking out for greater opportunities from small communities, and there's some truth in this, but there's also the fact that as the population ages, there are simply fewer children being born in small towns than there were because the women who would birth them are increasingly past the age of menopause. This is a comparatively recent phenomenon - life expectancy was such even 100 years ago that a woman would have on average of 6-8 children in her lifetime with an average life expectancy of about 40. Today, even in rural areas that number is less than two (below the replacement rate of 2.1), with life expectancies in the mid-70s.What you end up with are *gray towns*. They no longer have adequate population growth to sustain them, there is little in the way of immigration (many of these are off the main highways), and as that population dies off, eventually the town becomes a ghost town. This affects policy, because while such towns can be temporarily revitalized, without a regular vehicle for attracting new immigrants, such towns will eventually collapse.This is one of the reasons that the xenophobia concerning immigration is so misplaced. Many immigrants who come to this country were often born and raised in similar small towns in their own country, and find the pace of larger cities overwhelming. Once established, such immigrants often bring fresh blood to a town, and can keep such towns from fading away by opening up new economic opportunities, traditions, and, most notably, children who have an incentive to stay in the area.

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🚨 Community Spotlight: The Unsung Heroes of Ashland, Maine 🚨 In small towns like Ashland, Maine, individuals like Lendell Tarr play a vital role in keeping the community thriving. At 65, Lendell takes on numerous responsibilities such as being a recreation director, chauffeuring for the Little League, cleaning the town office, being a senior companion, looking after the cemetery grounds, and occasionally driving an ambulance and a school bus. However, with his growing attraction to fishing, the town is preparing for his eventual retirement. Town manager Cyr Martin emphasizes the challenge ahead: "He simply can’t retire. Finding someone else to do the lawn care and bus driving like Lendell does would be nearly impossible." Ashland is not the only town facing this issue. Small towns across the U.S. encounter a critical workforce challenge, relying heavily on multitasking heroes. For example, Jessica Jimmo manages roles as a deputy clerk, assistant librarian, and volunteer firefighter. Similarly, David Milligan serves as a police officer and town code enforcer. The struggle to retain and attract talent is not unique to Ashland. Rural communities everywhere grapple with the dual issues of aging populations and the difficulty of offering competitive salaries. This labor shortage puts essential services at risk, from local police to financial management, highlighting the need for innovative solutions. As we look to the future, it’s evident that we must find ways to support and retain the next generation of workers in our small towns. Let's celebrate and support these everyday heroes who keep our communities running. #CommunityHeroes #SmallTownUSA #WorkforceChallenges #LocalGovernments #PublicService