A business survey finds about half of one Vermont county’s employers plan to hire new workers within the next year, but note that it’s difficult finding local applicants capable of handling the jobs.
The survey conducted in June by the Windham Workforce Investment Board included 75 members of the Brattleboro, Bellows Falls and Deerfield Valley area chambers of commerce.
The survey finds that 56 percent of respondents intend to hire within the next year to fill current or newly created openings. However, many of those businesses worry about applicants’ lack of specific qualifications to do the required job.
The Brattleboro Reformer reports more than 60 percent of the businesses responding had fewer than 10 current workers and were concentrated in the retail, food services and health care industries.