Iowa’s worker shortage ought to transcend politics

Businesses big and small in Iowa and across the nation face a shortage of workers. During the Iowa Ideas conference last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds told Gazette Executive Editor Zack Kucharski her administration is attacking the workforce gap from several angles.

She’s traveled the state talking to businesses about their needs. She’s put a team together to review more than 100 workforce programs spread across 11 state agencies. Reynolds has sent support teams to individual companies to create a plan addressing worker shortages.

Reynolds is tapping educational institutions to lead work-based learning, often in partnership with business. The governor has sought to launch initiatives in some state prisons with hopes released inmates can become employed when they return to communities.

On Wednesday, Reynolds announced major changes to unemployment benefits, doubling the work search requirement for recipients while hiring more staff to assist unemployed Iowans.

The governor also sees refugees as potential source of workers.

“We’ve also been working extensively with our refugee communities and really trying to find areas where we can help provide them the resources, education, maybe ESL, computer technology,” said Reynolds, who is expecting 700 Afghan refugees to be settled in Iowa. “So we’re honestly just trying a lot of different things. We’re going to find out what’s working.”

We’re supportive of many of these measures. In a state with 85,000 open jobs, it makes sense to tap every possible human resource. In particular, we hope the governor follows through on her commitment to help refugees find an economic foothold in Iowa. As for unemployment changes, we’d like to hear much more detail about additional resources and staffing to help workers navigate new requirements.

Unfortunately, when asked if she might follow the late former Gov. Bob Ray’s lead in welcoming undocumented immigrants and asylum-seekers leaving violence and strife to reach our southern border, Reynolds’ tone changed.

“Immigration, that’s a federal issue. Unless they stop and secure the border, it’s going to be harder and harder to have that conversation going forward. It is a humanitarian and national security crisis,” said Reynolds, who then talked of cartels and drugs and criminals.

It’s disappointing the same governor who recognizes the value of refugees from around the globe and who wants to give prison inmates a second chance can’t see the same potential in people from Central America and Mexico. They also have talents and a work ethic that could fit Iowa’s needs. And they already are in communities across Iowa.

It is, of course, a political calculation being made by Republicans nationally assailing the Biden administration’s record. But facing the need for tens of thousands of workers, playing politics is a luxury Iowa can’t afford.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com