State effort aims to fill skilled jobs

Thousands of jobs are available in Arkansas with salaries above the state's average income but there are not enough qualified workers to fill them, state leaders said Tuesday.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and representatives from the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, the Delta Regional Authority and Wal-Mart announced the start of an initiative, "Be Pro Be Proud," to tell Arkansans of the relatively high-paying jobs.

"A skills gap, generally defined as the inability of companies to attract and retain qualified, highly skilled employees, has widened with increasing speed over the past several years," said Randy Zook, chief executive officer of the state Chamber of Commerce. "Companies have jobs they cannot fill while people cannot find jobs they want and can do. The gap impacts companies large and small from the Delta to Northwest Arkansas."

Hutchinson said he's an advocate for training the state's workforce to reduce the skilled-trade jobs gap.

"I encourage everyone to be a part of the 'Be Pro Be Proud' movement," Hutchinson said. "It shows that we are serious about educating parents and young people about these career paths that are essential to our state's economic growth."

The older generation of skilled workers is retiring, and that's the big reason for the jobs gap, Zook said.