Apr 23, 2006 By James Pletcher Jr. 6 min read

For the first time in decades, one local economic development official says Fayette County is facing a worker shortage. “It is the first time in Fayette County’s recent history, over the last 60 years or so, that we are entering an area where there will be workforce shortages,’ Mike Krajovic, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council president, said.

“With the information we have at Fay-Penn and with the new projects that have been publicly announced, other expansions and the projects we are working on, there will be about 2,000 positions that will need to be filled.

“These will require an equal number of jobs in the service sector, areas such as food service, retail sales, tire shops and others.

“We expect these positions to be filled in the next three to five years. We are looking at from 3,000 to 4,000 new job opportunities in the county over the next three to five years,’ he said.

“And that does not include new companies that could come into Fayette County or existing ones that will expand.

Specifically, Krajovic said, a recent report Fay-Penn generated shows there will be a need for computer scientists and engineers, technical writers, nursing care assistants, telemarketing managers, civil engineers and highway designers, machinists, welders, shop technicians, electrical engineers, wood workers, truck drivers, graphic artists, specialist equipment operators and many others. Fay-Penn estimates nearly 600 professional positions, more than 1,200 labor positions and about 400 jobs in the hospitality industry will need to be filled.

A major reason for the shortfall, he added, will be an improving employment picture in the county.

Unemployment in Fayette County has been historically high over the past two decades. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor, Fayette County suffered double-digit rates in the early 1980s. In 1983, for example, Fayette’s jobless rate was 20.3 percent.

In recent years, however, the rates improved significantly, according to state records. In 2005, the rate was 7.4 percent, down from 7.8 percent in 2004 and 7.7 percent in 2003. But more than 4,000 new jobs over the next several years could literally erase that number altogether.

“There is no such thing as zero unemployment. But when you have a rate that drops to 2 or 3 percent, then effectively everyone is working,’ Krajovic said.

“This is the first time in my experience in Fayette County that there has been such an opportunity for such growth,’ he said.

“This is wonderful news, great news. And it’s very important that people in Fayette County realize we have turned the corner, we have moved in a new direction that is providing a wonderful opportunity for its residents,’ he said.

One area that will be impacted, he added, is the historic drain on local youth who have left home and hearth to find suitable employment in other areas of the country.

“When I talk to teachers, they tell me that when parents encourage their children to get a good education, subconsciously they are telling them to get a good education so they can leave here to get a good job. That won’t be necessary in the future,’ Krajovic said.

“These are not low-paying jobs. In Fayette County right now some companies are starting their people in the $10 to $12 an hour range. We are looking at more than 1,000 jobs like those.

“It is possibly the first time in two generations that families have the opportunity of staying together. We don’t have to break the family apart in order for all to make a living. Young people don’t have to leave here to find a good job.

“It’s also the first time that Fayette County is a place where you can get a good education and a good job. Parents should be encouraging their children to look at this.’

Krajovic said the county’s education system has improved but must continue to do so to provide workers with the skills employers will need in the future.

“They will also need the ability to work in an environment where they will be able to communicate well and work well with other people. Schools here have made great improvement and we need to see that continues.’

Other developments, he said, just add to the improvement.

In terms of hard dollars and cents, Krajovic said highway, sewer and water projects over the next decade will add to the county’s economic viability.

“In 2004 alone we identified more than $230 million of new infrastructure projects. There are water and sewer projects planned in Georges Township, Masontown and other areas and over the next five to 10 years we will see about a half a billion dollars invested in public infrastructure: new roads, water and sewer projects.’

Combined, he added, “most people will not recognize the Fayette County of today as it will be 10 years from now.’

This growth is also generating what Krajovic calls “a significant need for new housing development in the county,’ and reaching out to nearby regions.

“We must also develop a closer relationship with the Morgantown area. There are more than 2,000 people living in Fayette County today who commute to jobs in Morgantown. Much of the growth that will occur in Morgantown will affect Fayette County. The Washington, D.C.-Baltimore, Md., areas are also growing this way as well as Pittsburgh. We are positioned right now to maximize this opportunity for our growth.’

But it is also “imperative that we look at zoning differently. We will need tighter quality standards. Our communities no longer have to beg for development and they need to raise their quality standards. In our business and technology parks, for example, we have higher quality standards than some of our municipalities,’ which affect the appearance of the overall development and type of structures that are built.

“These things we have not required in the past because our municipalities have been so desperate for any kind of development. But now, we can require higher standards be met. We can improve the aesthetic appearance of development.

“We have to look beyond how construction occurs. We have a rural character and that’s what appeals to many companies. Do we want to keep that rural character? We can if we pay attention to some of the mistakes that other communities have made.’

This emphasis, he added, is needed at “all levels of government and we need elected officials who can look for a bright future and set a new vision for their communities.

“It’s a very new day. We have turned a corner. But it is also a very critical time in Fayette County’s history.

“What we do will determine how we look 10 years from now.

“We must do this in a planned manner and not in a reactive manner.’