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Tae Chong
Updated: May 31, 2021
Work for ME 2021 — Commentary
Commentary: The workers we need are right in front of us
By Tae Chong
Maine needs 75,000 more workers by 2030, according to the Maine Development Foundation’s 2019 “Measures of Growth Report.”
Unfortunately, we have seen a decline of 65,000 workers in recent years as Maine has more retirees than people entering the workforce; we have the oldest population in the nation, and we have more deaths than births.
The only population that is growing in Maine, northern New England and the United States is the population of people of color, immigrants, and refugees. There are nearly 10,000 students of color and nearly 100,000 people of color living in Maine, and almost 2.5 million people of color in the tri-state area: Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. There is a great opportunity to recruit, hire, and retain people of color.
Here are three strategies for creating a more diverse workforce.
1. Recruit
For many, networking helps to find job opportunities. If people of color are not part of your network, or if you do not have relationships within diverse communities, you need to do the work. Luckily, building relationships is not mysterious. It’s fun. It is also easy because networking in Maine is a matter of just a few degrees of separation.
Everyone knows everyone, eventually. Perhaps the easiest way to network is to connect with our local colleges and universities. Campus multicultural directors, deans of students, and the various racial and ethnic groups on campuses are well-poised to offer and receive opportunities for jobs, internships, and apprenticeships for their diverse student populations. It is worth the effort.
For example, Southern Maine Community College alone has 1,000 students of color ready to contribute to the workforce. Numerous towns in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts have a high concentration of people of color. By working with local officials, community ethnic leaders, navigators, and groups, and schools, you may build relationships with potential workers. For example, in Maine, half of Portland and Lewiston public schools’ population is made up of students of color and multicultural populations. Regionally, Lowell, Mass., has 30,000 to 35,000 Cambodians, the second largest in the United States behind Long Beach, Calif.
2. Hire
For many of the nearly 50,000 immigrants and refugees living in Maine, English is not the first language. Recruiters and interviewers should consider how and where they advertise their positions and whether their application process is friendly to potential English as a Second Language candidates. You can ask your hiring teams to explore if the questions you will ask reflect openness to new skills and new experiences.
If the expectation is to replace a worker who was born and raised in Maine with someone who fits the same culture and skills, then finding a person of color to meet those expectations will likely falter. The hiring process for new workers will be about adapting to new ideas, cultures, and expertise. Hiring for potential and hiring people who are willing to learn and grow with you, regardless of their backgrounds, will yield powerful results for your business.
3. Retain
When employees feel safe, supported, welcomed and valued, they will know that their opportunities are directly tied to their performance, regardless of their race or ethnicity. They will stay.
The person who is best positioned to promote this positive culture is an employee’s direct supervisor. When the supervisor is an ally and part of the support system to help people of color to succeed, the likelihood of retaining that employee is greatly increased. All front-line supervisors should be as well-versed in diversity, equity, and inclusion work as the CEO and leadership. Equity work is done in small teams and departments. Leadership rooted in equity makes the difference, whether it is in the corner office or on the warehouse floor.
Tae Chong, Diversity Equity and Inclusion consultant to Maine State Chamber and owner of Tae Chong Consulting and Fresh Out of the Box Thinking (FOB) LLC, can be reached at tae.y.chong@gmail.com.
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