Indiana company survey: 49% left positions unfilled

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Finding skilled workers is such a problem in Indiana, many companies are choosing to leave jobs unfilled.

That’s one of the findings of the 12th annual employer workforce survey from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and its Institute for Workforce Excellence.

During three weeks in August, Indiana companies were asked to respond to questions about hiring practices. The chamber said it received more than 1,000 responses from employers in 89 of Indiana’s 92 counties.

Results of the survey show 49% left jobs unfilled in the past year due to underqualified applicants, compared to 51% a year ago. The chamber said that the trend of the last five years remains largely intact.

“Given the survey responses, another strategy seems to be accepting that the talent shortage is not going to change anytime soon and simply finding alternative methods for dealing with it,” said Kevin Brinegar, Indiana Chamber president and chief executive officer.

Brinegar said understaffed companies are adapting to the ongoing shortage of qualified applicants in several different ways. More companies are assigning responsibilities internally; 25% compared to 18% two years ago.

Companies are also finding themselves having to hire underqualified applicants. The survey showed 23% of the companies are taking that path. In 2017, it was just 11%.

While nearly half of the employers are leaving jobs unfilled, fewer respondents are listing workforce and talent needs as among their biggest challenges. The chamber said the number declined from 80% to 45%. Other issues are more pressing to their businesses.

“A slowing national economy, tariffs and ongoing trade disputes are some of the potential concerns for employers today compared to recent years,” Brinegar said.

He also said there is less optimism among employers in the growth of their own organization; 45% percent expect to increase the size of their workforce in the next year or so, but that’s a decline from 56% in 2018.

Click here to read more results of the employer workforce survey from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.