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Low unemployment rates typically point to a healthy economy. With a healthy economy, wages grow, and productivity increases.

Like eating too much pie, however, too much of a good thing is not necessarily better. The increasing number of job vacancies has become the next big obstacle for Hawaii’s economy as employers struggle to find and keep workers.

According to Kevin Dayton’s article, “Where Are the Workers? Last Month, 27% Of State Government Civil Service Positions Were Vacant,” more than a fourth of the service positions in Hawaii government were vacant as of the end of last year.

Vacancy positions climbed to 18% in 2019 shortly before the pandemic and 27% in December 2023. Worse, 30% of existing state civil service employees will be eligible to retire within five years which leaves a small timeline to fill those spots. In the private sector, unemployment rates in Hawaii hover at an extremely low 3%.

College students like me seek to fill the gap, but the wealth of opportunities does not always translate into pre-graduation jobs. Employers complain that my generation is not ready for the workforce, yet there is a lack of sufficient training for younger workers to assume the positions of those expecting to retire in the upcoming years.

Employers need workers now, but cutting training programs or failing to invest in internships only makes the problem worse. The best way to embed the younger generation into the workforce in an effective and timely manner is through training.

Paid internships for students, whether in college or high school, create a flexible platform to introduce students to the workforce before they receive degrees. This allows the younger generation to get a taste of their future, learn necessary pre-employment skills, and eventually land on a desired career.

Filling The Void

Internships and apprenticeships are equally effective tactics to entice young people to pursue blue-collar jobs. Glen Kaneshige, president of Nordic Construction, recently spoke to a group of maritime industry leaders expressing that the value of working with one’s hands has been lost for some young students. It is employers’ responsibility, Kaneshige asserted, to educate students as young as middle school that trades can provide a comfortable living in Hawaii.

He says the shortage of qualified workers creates multiple workplace challenges including a risk of reduced safety and prolonged construction projects. Consequently, delays will continue until jobs are filled.

Kaneshige is working tirelessly to fill the void by speaking at high schools and middle schools, introducing students to the labor force at an early age. He has helped create apprenticeship programs to provide students with a hands-on and realistic experience in the construction industry.

Although safety concerns may make most companies hesitate, this shouldn’t lead to abandoning internship programs entirely. Kaneshige urges business leaders to collaborate with other blue-collar sectors to work around this issue in rebuilding a sense of hope and pride in trade jobs.

As a soon-to-be college graduate, I have learned a handful of reasons why internships are the next step to helping this worker crisis.

First and foremost, the distinction between an office versus a classroom setting is the culture of adaptability. You can learn the logistical concepts of a business in the classroom and feel you have it all down, however, not all situations fit this classroom-taught mold. Being challenged to respond on the spot is simply the most effective way to gain corporate workplace skills.

Less training time for an intern’s transition to a full-time position is incredibly helpful and valuable to both the employer and the employee, promoting flexibility for sudden changes.

Data tells us what we instinctively know: internships lead to full-time employment post-graduation. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 71.4% of interns who have internal experience stay with the company for at least one year, and 43.9% stay on for five years or more. In comparison, the one-year retention rate for interns who have interned elsewhere is 59%, and the five-year retention rate is 37.3%.

There is a better chance a graduate will work for a company that they had previous experience with than somewhere else, instilling a sense of comfortability for businesses that take a chance on offering internships.

Employers benefit from internships in more ways than just filling future vacancies. They can also gain from the insights of interns who are not constrained by the way things have always been done.

Promoting curiosity and a culture of openness to new approaches would serve Hawaii business leaders in many sectors. Seeing old problems with new eyes promotes innovation.

Employers who infuse their workplaces with interns create a sense of dynamism. Employers who implement internship programs well hold the key to filling future job vacancies with enthusiastic applicants who are primed to hit the ground running on day one.