Running a business in a rural area comes with some wonderful perks, such as lower crime rates, beautiful scenery to enjoy, and a sense of community connection that differs from urban areas.

However, it also comes with some unique challenges for workforce development. These can include a lack of access to broadband internet, rural “brain drain,” a lack of diversity, and limited access to educational advancement opportunities. Additionally, there may be challenges with community resources, such as transportation, childcare, health care, and housing. Although every community is different, there are still best practices supported by research and demonstrate solutions that can be considered to support and enhance the rural workforce.

There have been multiple research reports published on rural economies and the workforce. In 2017, the Investing in America’s Workforce initiative held listening sessions and conducted extensive research. The focus of the initiative was to shed light on workforce challenges and opportunities, with rural issues included.

The research identified stakeholder strategies to build stronger rural economies. Building off of the research and listening sessions from 2017, a 2019 report entitled Strengthening Workforce Development in Rural Areas by Ashley Bozarth and Whitney Strifler, was published by the Federal Reserve. The relevant findings presented in Strengthening Workforce Development in Rural Areas are reflected in the data and suggestions provided in this article and AEM’s Rural Workforce Action Plan in the recently released AEM Workforce Solutions Toolkit.

Current Outlook

According to Strengthening Workforce Development in Rural Areas:

• One out of every four businesses located outside metro areas struggles to find qualified workers, compared with one out of six in metro areas.
• Adults 65 and older average 25% of rural populations, versus 19% in metro areas.
• White, non-Hispanic adults age 16 and older make up about 82% of the population in nonmetro areas, compared to 60 percent in metro areas.
• The vast majority of counties with persistent poverty, where more than 20% of the population has been living in poverty over the past 30 years, are located in nonmetro areas
• 40% of nonmetro renter households and 21% of nonmetro owner-occupants spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs.
• 58% of rural census tracts in the United States have limited or no access to quality childcare.
• In rural areas, the overdose rate exceeded metropolitan rates in 2015.
• Rural residents comprise 57% of the population in neighborhoods with no broadband access, but only 15% of the country’s total population.

What You Can Do

To address rural workforce issues, companies need to be willing to think beyond their own needs by connecting and investing in their communities. One report encouraged companies to approach rural workforce development with a quasi-public good approach. The systemic challenges faced by rural businesses require a willingness to collaborate with key community stakeholders in a way that encompasses the five broadly categorized best practices below.

These are robust strategies that require a community focus and long-term mindset. Organizations like economic development corporations or chambers of commerce often lead these initiatives. Lending your support, at whatever level you are able, will contribute to your community’s success and a stronger available workforce.

Rural Workforce Strategies

The strategies outlined below tie closely with those framed in Strengthening Workforce Development in Rural Areas. Additional research reports and articles confirmed the validity of this comprehensive strategy set.

Connect youth and adult workers with education and training programs that relate directly to existing and burgeoning industry sectors.

A critical piece of the rural workforce puzzle is ensuring that the limited educational programs available in rural settings match the skill and labor needs of the community. It is important that programs create clear career pathways from school to employment. Presenting these pathways to both youth and adult learners is critical. Funding career technical education (CTE) can and should be supported through both public and private agencies. These connections are best supported through industry education partnerships. (Examples of career pathways and funding opportunities can be found in the Workforce Solutions Toolkit.)

Support economic diversification initiatives that increase economic resiliency.

Many rural communities have one or two anchor businesses that drive the economy. Losing one of those key industries can put a community at risk. Diversification of business size and type can help stabilize the impact of potential losses. This diversity also paves the way for attracting workers along the entire skill spectrum. Understanding this dynamic while contributing to a collaborative effort makes sense.

Create community amenities that improve the quality of life in order to attract and retain workers.

Rural employers face a duality when recruiting and retaining employees: the challenge of disproportionate rural poverty and reduced educational access, and the opportunity to entice additional workers who are looking to experience abundant natural resources or a community experience that differs from urban areas. These challenges and opportunities give rural employers the ability to leverage benefits beyond wages while building their workforce. Employers should articulate their area’s unique benefits when posting positions, as it can be very effective (especially if they are targeting a specific audience).

Support community development efforts focused on reducing common rural barriers including transportation, housing, childcare, health care, and broadband.

When willing people are held back from working by issues such as transportation, housing, and lack of childcare, businesses will need to ask themselves whether it is more expensive to invest in solutions or suffer the loss of production capacity. Rural communities also disproportionately lack quality broadband coverage which, in today’s world, is an expectation of workers looking to relocate. Businesses may not want to take these issues on themselves, but engagement in community efforts to address these issues directly benefits workforce recruitment and retention.

Collaborate across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors to align workforce development, economic development, and community development goals.

Rural communities, businesses, and economies face unique challenges that require community stakeholders to work together to overcome. Learn more about how communities can come together and create success by viewing the resources in the Educational Partnership, Regional Initiatives, and Rural Workforce action plans inside the AEM Workforce Solutions Toolkit.

Source: AEM

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Ontario is delivering on its commitment to create even more economic and educational opportunities in rural, remote and underserved areas of the province through an improved, modern broadband network in Southwestern Ontario. The province announced that Brooke Telecom has been contracted to bring reliable internet to Lambton County.

Parliamentary Assistant Randy Pettapiece, on behalf of Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, along with Monte McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and Bob Bailey, MPP for Sarnia-Lambton were in Watford, Ontario today to make the announcement.

The contract, awarded by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT), is the latest step in the expansion of broadband internet access in Southwestern Ontario.

Brooke Telecom will implement a fibre-to-the-home project, consisting of 149.5 kilometres of fibre to service 536 premises, just east of Petrolia. The project will invest $5.8 million in broadband infrastructure, including funding from federal, provincial and municipal governments. Construction on the infrastructure is expected to begin in April 2021, with completion by December 2022.

PA Pettapiece and MPP McNaughton also visited Kettle and Stony Point First Nation to announce that internet service provider, Execulink, has begun construction. This jointly-funded project totaling $2.7 million will see 35 kilometres of fibre optic cable installed and will bring broadband service to the First Nation community. Construction is expected to be completed by December 2020. Combined, these two projects are worth up to $8.5 million and will result in 185 kilometres of fibre optic cable being laid, giving broadband access to more than 1,500 homes and businesses in Lambton County.

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development said:

“In our first mandate, we invested to connect nearly 400,000 households by 2023 through the Connect to Innovate program; more ambitious than any other government. Work is underway every day and in the next 18 months, we will connect 250,000 of these households. Our plan is working because we are working with our partners at the community level. We are about to open new calls for proposals to connect 100% of Canada’s communities to reliable, quality internet access. Our number one goal over the coming months will be supporting high quality plans and applications from every community who needs better access. Together, with partners like those involved here in Lambton County, we will achieve universal internet access so that geography does not determine any Canadian’s access to this essential service. Congratulations to hardworking local MPs and all involved!”

Monte McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, said:

“For too long connecting rural communities with high-speed internet hasn’t been treated with enough urgency — our government has changed that. Improving connectivity for homes and businesses is critical for people to participate effectively in this highly competitive global economy.”

Bob Bailey, MPP for Sarnia–Lambton, said:

“In the past few months we’ve seen how important it is for individuals, families, and businesses to be able to connect online through reliable, high speed internet connections. Today’s announcement is another positive step toward the goal of expanding internet access in underserved areas of rural Southwestern Ontario and will help to retain and attract families and businesses to Lambton County.”

Bill Weber, Lambton County Warden and SWIFT Board Member, said:

“This project will have a very positive impact in additional areas of Lambton County. We are pleased to have been able to provide the additional funding to make this project happen in partnership with SWIFT and Brooke Telecom as we move a step closer to closing the connectivity gap in the province.”

“The advancement of this project with the support of many great new relationships, allows Kettle and Stony Point First Nation the opportunity to continue to thrive and grow. The boost in educational and economic impacts from this investment will be felt for years to come.”

– Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point Chief Jason Henry.

The Ontario government recognizes how important rural broadband access is for individuals, families and businesses. Work continues to bridge the gaps in broadband access in Southwestern Ontario, as part of a combined $190 million investment to bring fast, reliable internet to thousands of homes and businesses.

Creating more ways to strengthen rural economies is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario together. Reliable and affordable broadband internet will allow communities to attract new development, strengthen local economies and create more well-paying jobs and opportunities in rural Ontario.

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ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock released the following statement:

“The final rule will speed up the approval process for much-needed infrastructure projects, which will especially benefit the rural communities in which ag retailers and their customers live and work.”

“The rule does not compromise environmental reviews or public input, in fact the rule will enhance the public’s involvement through better coordination of hearings and more concise, accessible documents for review.”

ARA was part of the Unlock American Investment Coalition composed of 50 organizations in total. On March 10, ARA signed comments from the coalition in support of this Council on Environmental Quality’s proposed rule to reform and modernize NEPA.

Source: Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA)

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