Submitted photo
NRV Experience
Staffing, Hiring, and Recruiting…Oh My! By Jennifer Poff Cooper Pandemic or not the help wanted sign has been out.
As of late September 2020, 63% of manufacturers and 38% of technology companies in the New River Valley indicated they had job openings. When asked about their employment levels within the next 12 months, 75% of tech companies and 62% of manufacturers indicated they planned to increase employment. Onward NRV, which released the survey, is a public/ private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment, and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley.
8
t FEBRUARY 2021 / vbFRONT.com
Charlie Jewell, Executive Director, said staffing can be a challenge. Lack of available and affordable housing is one stumbling block. Another is the lack of diversity in the population. Then there is a misperception that there are not job opportunities here. Alec Siegel, Managing Director of local recruiting firm Siegel Search, dispelled that notion: “There is a big demand in Blacksburg in emerging technology companies. There are more openings than qualified candidates.”
