Where the Jobs Are 2020

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SI DE- GIG JOB S GET HIT

local rideshare and delivery drivers see less demand for rides, more demand for delivery as a result of pandemic

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WORDS: REBECCA MENNECKE

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hannon Asp’s average day consisted of him offering 24-30 rides to locals through Uber and Lyft – companies he has been driving with since these “side-gig” jobs came to Eau Claire about three years ago.

Now, because of the coronavirus pandemic, Asp is lucky to give 12 rides a day – a reducation of at least half.

“A lot of them are short runs,” he added.

Asp is one of many drivers for Uber, Lyft, Door Dash, Bite Squad, and other rideshare and delivery services in the Eau Claire area that has been hit hard by the pandemic. Between fewer people needing rides and more people joining the side-gig economy to make a little extra cash, long-time drivers now grapple with how to make ends meet – with many turning to delivery services, which has faced an increase in demand.

“Coronavirus increased the demand for deliveries greatly,” said Josh Buchholz, a driver with Bite Squad. ‘I have noticed that Instacart grocery delivery has also had a huge increase in orders.”

According to Dean Turcol, the media relations representative for Bite

UNSPLASH

Squad, the company has doubled its delivery zone in areas of Eau Claire, now partnering with 42 local restaurants, which means more possible delivery options. Initially, Bite Squad noted a decrease in delivery orders around midMarch, but the number of orders grew throughout the end of March and April to levels higher than before the pandemic. According to Turcol, Bite Squad received about 44,700 orders in April– a 19% increase over the first quarter of 2020.

“There has been a huge increase in orders,” Buchholz said. “At the same time, there has also been a decrease in tips, unfortunately. And as a driver, tips pay a majority of our bills.”

Many people are under the impres-

sion that what a rider pays is what a driver gets, Asp said, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. About 48% of that money goes to the corporation, Asp said. Tipping is important because the corporations don’t take any of that money – all tips go to the driver.

Asp said the habit of riders not tipping has been on the rise in the past 10 or so years. “Before, everybody tipped,” he said. “I mean, it was no problem. ... A dollar goes a far way.”

Jim Rizzo, a driver with Uber and Lyft since the two companies first came to the Chippewa Valley, agreed.

“We depend on tips,” he said.

Drivers also have to cover the costs of vehicle maintenance and insurance, meaning it can be challenging to make

enough money to support themselves, let alone break even, Asp said. He also cleans his vehicle at least once every day – perhaps even more now, he added, which costs additional money.

“I got to get the bills paid,” he said.

Uber and Lyft also have strict requirements for drivers to wear masks, and Rizzo said Uber even scans them to ensure they are wearing masks. But riders are not forced to wear masks, which frustrates many drivers. Asp, for example, recently welcomed a newborn grandson into his family and worries that he may get sick and infect his family – or not be able to provide for his family.

“It’s been very rough for a lot of regular drivers,” Asp said.

“There has been a huge increase in orders. At the same time, there has also been a decrease in tips, unfortunately. And as a driver, tips pay a majority of our bills.”

–Josh Buchholz, a driver for Bite Squad

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ADDR ESSING TEACHER SHORTAGES COVID-19 may exacerbate concern addressed at UW-Stout summit; Gen-Z may provide the answer

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ow to attract and retain diverse teachers because of a growing shortage nationwide was the main topic of UW-Stout’s fifth annual Career and Technical Education Summit held recently.

At the virtual summit on June 2324, David DeGuire – director of teacher education, professional development, and licensing at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction – noted that 40% of teachers leave the profession in their first five years. Because of COVID-19, DeGuire estimates one in five are not planning to return in the fall.

“We just don’t have enough teachers willing to teach in our schools,” he said. “We know we need (career and technical education) teachers.”

The future may be helped by a generation born from the late 1990s to the early 2010s by focusing on how teachers can positively change their community.

“Generation Z is really interested in making a difference and seeing a

WORDS: PA M POWERS / UW- STOUT

change,” DeGuire said. “We have to help them understand teaching is a great way to do that.”

Other ways to attract teachers may include connecting school district alumni who are interested in coming back and teaching, encouraging CTE instructors to recruit their own successor, looking at community members and veterans to fill the void, and creating opportunities for students to learn about a teaching career.

A panel of three UW-Stout alumni – Kathleen Thorn (business education, Colfax Middle School), Scott Sayles (business and marketing, Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota), and Andrew Kleiber (technology education, Winona High School in Minnesota) – talked about their experiences as CTE teachers.

They were joined by Tracie Nielson, a business and marketing teacher in the Kenosha School District.

Thorn, a first-year teacher this past school year, said her district has a mentor program that helps new teach-

New teachers are more inclined to stay in the profession if they feel like they’re part of the district and are involved in student programs. ers make suggestions or ask questions.

Sayles, who has taught about 3½ years, said new teachers are more inclined to stay in the profession if they feel like they’re part of the district and are involved in student programs. “Let them try new things and have a safety net if they do fall,” he said. “It makes new teachers feel valued.”

Kleiber encourages students who are excelling to teach other students.

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This helps them see teaching as a career option.

Thorn said she has requested teaching assistants to build relationships with students and show them that marketing and business education might be a great career to pursue.

Nielson decided to teach after working in the retail field. She took a nearly $20,000 pay cut but has found the career to be rewarding.

Keynote speaker Alex Manuel, executive director of the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board, talked about educator shortage and educator diversity in the workforce. Encouraging paraeducators and those with certifications to become CTE educators can help fill the need. Immigrants with degrees from other countries are another potential pool of diverse teachers as well, she noted.

UW-Stout offers a number of programs to prepare CTE teachers for K-12 school districts. More information is available at uwstout.edu.

U NCHARTE D TE R R ITORY

coronavirus drives Chippewa Valley unemployment to historic highs, but there are bright spots WORDS: TOM GIFFEY

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racking unemployment in the Chippewa Valley – and in much of the rest of the United States – has been pretty ho-hum for most of the past decade. From a nearly double-digit high during the Great Recession, the jobless rate gradually declined, and for years has been close to what economists call “full employment” – nearly everyone who wanted a job had one.

Here in the Eau Claire metro area, the unemployment rate bottomed out at 2.6% as recently as last October. Historically speaking, that’s very, very low.

Things have changed dramatically in just a few months. The coronavirusdriven shutdown caused the unemployment rate to spike to 12.3% in the Eau Claire metro area (Eau Claire and Chippewa counties) in April. That’s the highest it’s been in the 30 years for which data by metro area is available, said Scott Hodek, an Eau Claire-based labor market economist with the state

Department of Workforce Development. While the figure slid to 10.6% in May, that’s still higher than at any point in the past decade.

Nationally, experts say unemployment this spring reached levels not seen since the Great Depression, When the nationHodek wide rate hit 14.7% in April, The Washington Post reported, “The Labor Department said 20.5 million people abruptly lost their jobs, wiping out a decade of employment gains in a single month.

The speed and magnitude of the loss defies comparison.”

HOT JOBS FOR WEST-CENTRAL WISCONSIN Based on Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development projections, here are the hottest jobs for 2016-26 in the nine-county west-central Wisconsin area, which includes Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn counties. Note that only two of the jobs (registered nurse and general and operations manager) require a bachelor’s degree, while another (heavy and tractor-trailer truck drives) requires post-secondary work.

The other seven require a high school diploma or less.

OCCUPATION

PROJECTED ANNUAL JOB OPENINGS

HE AV Y AND TR AC TOR-TR AILE R TRUC K DRIVE RS

460

SALES RE PS (WHOLESALE AND M ANUFAC TURING)

32 0

M AINTE NANC E AND RE PAIR WORK , GE NE R AL

260

REGISTE RE D NURSES 250 GE NE R AL AND OPE R ATIONS M ANAGE RS

220

WE LDE RS, C UT TE RS, SOLDE RE RS, AND BR A ZE RS

220

CONSTRUC TION L ABORE RS 210 C ARPE NTE RS 2 0 0

IT COULD BE WORSE

Nonetheless, the Chippewa Valley appears to be doing better than the state and nation as a whole. Jobless numbers for June, which were released July 2, show a national unemployment rate of 11.1% – in other words, the Chippewa Valley was already doing better in May than the nation was doing in June.

While we won’t know exactly how well the Chippewa Valley was doing in June until late July, it’s safe to say that the local economic recovery is stronger than the national one, especially considering recent COVID-19 outbreaks have forced some states to tighten public health measures again.

While the upward trajectory locally is encouraging, “Going forward the problem is the virus is the wildcard,” Hodek said. A spike in cases in Wisconsin could force some employers to shut down again, putting workers back on the unemployment rolls.

The Chippewa Valley’s comparatively “low” unemployment figures in recent months have been particularly surprising considering how hard local leisure and hospitality businesses were hit by the COVID-19 shutdown.

Leisure and hospitality – a sector that includes hotels, restaurants, and bars – is big business in the Chippewa Valley, yet employment plunged from 8,400

FIRST- LINE SUPE RVISORS OF RE TAIL SALES WORKE RS

18 0

BUS DRIVE R , SC HOOL OR SPEC IAL C LIE NT

16 0

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jobs in December to just 2,800 in May. While this number likely will begin to climb, it’s difficult to tell how quickly it will recover, Hodek said, especially because many hospitality businesses such as restaurants are operating at reduced capacity and thus require fewer workers.

Other sectors of the Valley’s economy have suffered less than leisure and hospitality: For comparison, the number of manufacturing jobs in the metro area in December (10,800) was the same as in May, while the number of education and health care jobs dipped from 16,600 in December to 14,500 in May.

LONG-TERM LOOK

So where do we go from here? Prognostications remain elusive. “It’s hard to say whether COVID is going to have a lasting effect down the decades,” Hodek said. “It’s something we can’t really predict.”

What is clear, however, is that the pandemic has accelerated the workfrom-home trend. Some businesses that

sent workers home in March to work remotely never brought them back to the office, realizing that they can do business just as effectively and collaboratively online. Hodek speculates that this trend could actually be good for a place like the Chippewa Valley, which has made an effort in recent years to emphasize its high quality of life (easy access to nature, short commutes) and relatively low cost of living compared to big metro areas. With remote working, people can get jobs with companies in New York or California but lead more relaxed, less expensive lives in the Chippewa Valley.

In the near term, it’s likely that the unemployment rate could continue to climb upward. Hodek noted that, COVID-19 aside, the economic underpinnings that led to low unemployment are still in place. He said that the Federal Reserve predicts the nationwide jobless rate will hit 6.5% by next year, while the Wisconsin Department of Revenue projects a rate of 6.3% in the state in 2021. “We’re likely to see some drag from this,” Hodek said of COVID-19, “but it’s unlikely to be a five- or 10-year drag.”

“It’s hard to say whether COVID is going to have a lasting effect down the decades. It’s something we can’t really predict.”

– Scott Hodek, labor market economist VolumeOne.org

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UNSPLASH

9 TO P TI PS FOR JOB HU NTE RS polish your résumé – and your attitude – to land your dream job WORDS: BARBARA ARNOLD

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egardless of the unemployment rate, finding the right job can be a challenge.

Volume One reached out to these Chippewa Valley experts and organizations to help compile this job hunters’ guide. Keep in mind these nine tips while seeking the job that’s right for you.

1. HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

Attitude IS everything. “Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it,” according to pastor and educator Charles R. Swindoll. Surround yourself with your hallelujah chorus, i.e., those who support and cheer you on. Get rid of the Greek chorus, i.e., those who bellyache, complain, and bring you down. Cut the cord with negative thinkers who zap the energy out of you.

2. NETWORK

“Over 70% of today’s jobs are in the ‘hidden job market’ and are not advertised as posted positions.” –Staci Heidtke, associate director of Career Services at UW-Eau Claire “Build relations – family, friends, acquaintances, former employers, and many more are important people when looking for a job. Most jobs are

not advertised. Hiring is done through connections. Enquire within your own network, or try our network. Contact businesses directly – many appreciate your initiative.” –Candi Geist, former Market Leader at Manpower

collected over time can be vital when you are active in your job search.” – Bryan Barts, director of Career Services at UW-Stout “Make sure your materials are ready; cover letter format handy that you are ready to tailor to each job you apply for, résumé is proofread, aligns with the job you are applying for, and ready to be given to an employer, references are aware that you are actively looking for work, and you have their approval.” –Lindy Schneider, career services specialist at Chippewa Valley Technical College

3. BE ORGANIZED

“Stay organized in your search!

Create a document where you can save job site information like usernames, passwords, website addresses, networking contacts (with notes on your conversations), and follow-up actions.

Being able to refer back to information

“Target your résumé and cover letter to specific companies. Make changes to these application materials based on the organization and the position you are applying for.”

– Staci Heidtke, associate director of Career Services at UW-Eau Claire

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4. CUSTOMIZE WITH KEY WORDS

“Target your résumé and cover letter to specific companies. Make changes to these application materials based on the organization and the position you are applying for.” –Staci Heidtke, UW-Eau Claire According to a recent article on Money.com, companies now use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to pore through numerous résumés they get for any open position. The ATS scans your résumé for keywords applicable to the job you’re applying for. Approximately 75% of candidates are taken out of consideration before a human even eyeballs your résumé.

ATS software is designed to scan vertically, so résumé that are centered are the best bet. Want to get through the “bot”? Make your résumé and application match what the job is asking for, and be able to back up with your skills and experience.

5. USE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

“Use technology to your advantage. Sites like LinkedIn and others are working for you 24/7. Keep them updated and complete.” –Bryan Barts, UW-Stout

“LinkedIn has a great ‘Jobs’ function. It is easy then to see which of your connections work for an organization. Reach out to them to garner tips for the application and interview process.” –Staci Heidtke, UW-Eau Claire

6. RESOURCES

Technology is helpful in a job search, but it’s no substitute for old-fashioned human connections, such as referrals from current employees and networking in your industry.

“Find a partner – like a staffing/recruiting agency. They make it easy for you to job search. … Applying with us is like applying with 50 area businesses.” –Nicole Kauphusman, former territory general manager at Express Employment Professionals The Job Center of Wisconsin, 221 W. Madison St., Eau Claire, is a tremendous resource for job seek-

ers. They offer a multitude of free workshops ranging from how to use keywords in your résumé to how to prepare for a job interview and more. Counselors will meet with you one-on-one to review and discuss your job search strategies. There is a weekly job club for job seekers, and the center has job specialists trained to work with veterans and those with disabilities.

7. WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I DON’T HEAR ANYTHING BACK?

“The biggest barrier I see nowadays is employers who are not responding to applicants. Or they receive what appears to be a spam email from an employer they applied to that says they have selected another candidate.” –Andy Vinson, Owner, CEO, Advanced Staffing There is a very fine line between being politely persistent and being a pesky pest. So walk the follow-

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up line carefully.

“Consider finding a mentor or two that you trust to give you constructive, authentic feedback about your job application materials and your chance of getting a job you apply for.” –Staci Heidtke, UW-Eau Claire

8. WHAT ARE SOME BARRIERS FOR JOB SEEEKER IN TODAY’S ECONOMY?

“In today’s economy, in this region, the largest barrier that exists for many job seekers is that they simply do not meet the qualifications for positions. Increasingly, companies are becoming much more specific in the qualifications required of positions they are looking to hire: education, experience, and skills – especially technical skills.” –Bryan Barts, UW-Stout

9. AND FINALLY, BE PERSISTENT! Never give up, Never quit. Persist!

JOBS BY THE NUMBERS 2020 If you’re like us, the blizzard of numbers that come in news reports about the economy can be bewildering. In particular, unemployment statistics are updated monthly, sometimes get adjusted, and constantly fluctuate. For nearly a decade, these numbers told a pretty positive story about the Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin, and the nation as a whole, with the economy expanding and unemployment steadily dropping. Unfortunately, that trend reversed this spring as the coronavirus-driven economic shutdown led to widespread layoffs and furloughs, turning what were some of the best unemployment statistics in decades into some of the worst. Here are some of the latest and most relevant statistics about the labor force and the unemployment rate from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (dwd.wisconsin.gov). Note: The Eau Claire metro area is composed of all of Eau Claire and Chippewa counties.

TOTAL L ABOR FORC E (EAU C L AIRE METRO)

89,973 May 2020

UNEMPLOYMENT R ATE (EAU C L AIRE METRO)

UNEMPLOYMENT R ATE (WISCONSIN)

10.6%

11.7%

UNEMPLOYMENT R ATE (UNITED STATES)

13.3%

(preliminary, not seasonally adjusted)

May 2020

(preliminary, not seasonally adjusted)

May 2020

(preliminary, not seasonally adjusted)

92,171

2.9%

3.1%

3.6%

May 2019

May 2019

May 2019

May 2019

(final, not seasonally adjusted)

(final, not seasonally adjusted)

(final, not seasonally adjusted)

(seasonally adjusted)

May 2020

(preliminary, seasonally adjusted)

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