Tri-Cities facing a labor shortage... (Kingsport, Greeneville: low income, home, employment)

[kamoshika]

"This marks the 10th quarter in a row of employment growth, and the seventh quarter where the increase has topped 2 percent."

As for unemployment, it fell 14.5 percent to 9,687. The jobless rate for the Tri-Cities metro area during the July to September period was 3.9 percent, compared to 4.7 percent a year ago.

"At the local level, the labor market continues to become tighter and tighter," Hipple wrote. "This is not sustainable and creates a set of local problems.

"We are seeing record-setting levels of job creation and reduced unemployment rates. This has created a local labor shortage."
Job creation tightens Tri-Cities labor market

[mbmouse]

Good article, thanks for sharing.
The thing that irks me about this kind of article is it is one side of the coin saying "there is a shortage of qualified labor in the area" (Eastman said the same thing last year and they are one of the largest employers in the area) yet the other side of the coin is someone looking to move here from elsewhere can not find listings of jobs available anywhere on the Internet. Someone in the area is going to have to create a listing of these available jobs with easy Internet access to the list.

[tnwannabe]

This is exactly our problem! We are relocating to TN and would like to live in the JC or bristol area but I cannot locate any jobs on the internet. We would like to know the approximate pay rates for secretarial and for construction work. Can anyone give me some approximate rates? Any information or web site addresses would be greatly appreciated!

[quietmum]

Same here! My husband is a master electrician and we can't find ANYTHING down there. He works for OMYA and is hoping he can put in for a transfer since they just bought the paper mill in Kingsport. He is afraid of leaving the company because he has such great job security there. I guess we'll just cross our fingers. Maybe we will have go about it the old fashioned way and use the phone book and chamber and send out a lot of resumes. Wouldn't it be nice if everything was easy? I still think that many people don't post jobs online. It's that way in Vermont too, even though that is where many folks start their searches.

PS if you are looking for average pay rates check out salary . com they can give you average pay and more just by job title and zip code.

[Halfback]

I know someone who worked at an unemployment agency- transfered to a diffrent unemployment office in a diffrent city and was told to not give job leads to anyone with out of state social security numbers. no wonder why i had a hard time finding a JOB THERE i was always given some excuse as o why i was unqualified or didn't qualify for any schooling to qualify,he abruptly retired.
some years ago my cpa in florida was to buy a retail property some where in TN and after talking to the inspector while getting his well sample tested slipped and said he was from Maryland and the inspector spit in his well sample -said he will not pass and not to buy the buisness.he bought a buisness in north carolina instead .
as i have heard before from people here "howdy ,welcome to Tennessee -now go home!"
but very politely.
some residents seem eager to hear that the new Floridiots went home after the experience their first cold winter and the treacherous frozen mountain roads that nearly killed them.

i have been here for almost a year and i have had employment because i have family already here .
My wife daughter and I have made many new freinds and alot of them are from florida and else where but alot of them are life long residents.
there are alot of family farms and with them lots of traditions that are easily lost once the younger restless generation that inherits them sells them off.

[Halfback]

Originally Posted by quietmum

Same here! My husband is a master electrician and we can't find ANYTHING down there. He works for OMYA and is hoping he can put in for a transfer since they just bought the paper mill in Kingsport. He is afraid of leaving the company because he has such great job security there. I guess we'll just cross our fingers. Maybe we will have go about it the old fashioned way and use the phone book and chamber and send out a lot of resumes. Wouldn't it be nice if everything was easy? I still think that many people don't post jobs online. It's that way in Vermont too, even though that is where many folks start their searches.

PS if you are looking for average pay rates check out salary . com they can give you average pay and more just by job title and zip code.

Planners Union-I think thats the name, is building a new reactor at Watts bar dam- new nuke plant coming on line for Tennesseee Valley Authority- may be hard to get in because of all the locals that have pull.
but Rhea county seems to be one of the counties more apt to hire out of towners and Yanks.

[mbmouse]

Might be some good news soon about job searches/placement!
I attended a meeting yesterday in Kingsport about this very subject and it looks like Kingsport Chamber is putting together a great initiative about this very thing. Helping people find jobs and move here, it is a relationship between an employment service and Move to Kingsport. I will post all the details when I get them, which should be soon!

[staceylu1326]

That would be wonderful mbmouse! I've been reading the threads related to the Tri-Cities area as I would love to move to this area w/my DH and young girls in the future. We moved to NW MT 17 years ago from NE PA and I just long to move back closer to our family who live in PA & FL, as well as the beauty of that country, I truly miss the fall foliage and 4-season climate, among other reasons, that draw us there, but I can't seem to coincide the friendliness of that area that the regular posters have shared about and then the lack of sharing job leads or even having an opportunity to land a job if you're not born and raised there. Either way, I was thrilled to read your post about the chamber understanding this dilemma and wanting to find ways to resolve it.

And on a side note, your state board is probably one of the friendliest ones I've come across that is very supportive and full of information for those who have an interest in relocating and I love all of the pictures that have been shared.

[TampaKaren]

I keep up with the Greene County news online at XTN The Smart Choice. The Greeneville Sun has some employment ads posted. I know it's not much, but maybe it will help someone who doesn't already know about this resource.

[Lookin4myMountain]

I have been here just about two weeks and I love the area. I came from Miami to live a simpler life and this town is really nice. Now as far as getting a job plan ahead, sadly most jobs seem to come by word of mouth, "Oh, so and so is hiren'go down the road, make a right at the "holler"... In which case this city girl got lost in the woods!!! I am so used to numbers that now I have to learn names! I live off of I-26 and that's my landmark. Ha, ha... Back to jobs, all applications must be done online, they call you for interviews after they do a background check, good work attendance is stressed, self control and good customer relations is a must, that's why everyone is so nice as sugar around here. My daughter got a job at Ryan's within the week, and I just got employed at Toys R Us...small low income jobs are everywhere $6.50-8.00. But the higher paying ones are hard to get, this is Tennessee, not Florida so if my husband made 21.00 per hour there, we were hoping to at least find him a job for $10.00, yet he has not found anything. He does not have a degree, but He is bilingual, a hard worker, truck driver (Not OTR)and he is willing to train ...yet no one will give him a job, could it be his Hispanic complexion, he thinks people may be prejudice and yet I don't think so everyone that we talk to seemed very helpful...I think that anyone coming here needs to stay a month , scope out the town, ask around,and have some back up money to sustain you till you get the job, look on the internet on - Tri-Cities, Tennessee Personal News and Media Center - this is a good source for jobs and don't expect something grand but take and maintain what you find. God bless, and if anyone has a job for my hubby let me know...