Editor’s note: This story has been changed since original publication to include a comment from a Louisiana Workforce Commission spokesman
Without access to adequate transportation, adult basic education, professional mentors, life-skills training and other key support, nearly 168,000 people in the Capital Region are missing out on opportunities for quality, long-term employment, according to a study released this morning by the Center for Planning Excellence.
According to the report, “Entering the Pipeline: Engaging Disconnected Workers in Our Regional Economy,” even though services to help disconnected workers have a positive return on investment—when compared to the costs of allowing them to slip through the cracks—organizations providing those services have a troublesome lack of resources.
“This is a major issue statewide because nearly half of working-age adults are not working,” says Jessica Kemp, CPEX vice president of policy and advocacy, and the study’s author. “Louisiana, and specifically the Capital Region, are poised for major economic growth. But we can’t sustain that growth unless we do a better job of connecting people to job opportunities.”
The study acknowledges several local service providers that have developed effective case-management models addressing barriers to employment, such as legal issues, literacy issues, soft-skills deficiencies, homelessness, family and financial instability, and health care and childcare needs. However, the providers often lack the resources to offer services on the scale needed, the report says.
The report calls on the region’s public- and private-sector employers to increase their engagement and support of organizations that help disconnected workers. The recommendations include an accelerated expansion of the area’s transit network, along with taking advantage of federal funding available through the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act, and the Job Access Reverse Commute program. CPEX cites research showing that in 2013, Louisiana left $20 million in Workforce Investment Act funding unspent. A spokesman with the Louisiana Workforce Commission says WIA funding is allocated to the state from the U.S. Department of Labor each year, and is spent within three years of receiving it. So, while there was $20 million unspent in 2013, those funds were spent in the following years. LWC has never returned any unspent WIA adult, youth or dislocated worker funding to the federal government under the current administration, the spokesman adds.
In addition, researchers suggest more strategic investment in public transportation for low-income communities and vouchers to help students cover transportation costs. They also recommend expanding services that help disconnected workers overcome challenges like substance abuse, financial instability, soft-skills deficiencies and basic literacy skills.
Of the 2.3 million working age adults in Louisiana, about 600,000 do not have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate, the CPEX report says, meaning 26% of the workers are not qualified for skilled work of any type. See the full report. The CPEX study complements a recent report from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber that lays out recommendations for Baton Rouge area to meet the growing workforce demand in key industries.
