By Marilyn Odendahl, Truth Staff
modendahl@etruth.com
As Elkhart County slides deeper into an economic downturn, no longer can laid-off workers wait for their jobs in the recreational vehicle industry to return.
RV manufacturers are contracting and consolidating to such a degree that even when the buyers return, the industry likely will be leaner and not need as many employees.
The market so far is showing no signs of a rebound. Just-released RV shipment totals for July were the weakest since the economic recession of 1991 and shipments of motorhomes are the lowest in more than 35 years, according to Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.
Manufacturers shipped just 17,100 units in July 2008, down 38.7 percent from the 27,900 shipped in July 2007. For the year, shipment totals are off 19.8 percent, with 179,600 units shipped through July 2008 compared with 223,900 through July 2007.
At the heart of the storm are the workers.
During the Elkhart County-Cities Forum Tuesday, officials discussed the state of the workforce and an economic opportunity lost.
Have to retrain workers laid off from RV industry
The bleeding of jobs in the RV industry turned into a major hemorrhage during July.
According to figures from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, about 6,139 Hoosier RV workers filed unemployment claims from July 19 to Aug. 16. The number excludes workers involved in temporary plant shutdowns and the more than 1,400 workers at Monaco Coach Corp. facing layoffs next week.
Downsized employees are being encouraged to obtain more education or retrain for other jobs. Skills applicable to science, technology, engineering and mathematics will provide the best chances of landing a steady job and getting more opportunities for life-long learning, said Kay Cochrane, regional operator for Northern WorkOne.
Retraining is an ongoing need for the entire workforce, not just those who have lost their jobs, Cochrane said. Even those who remain in the RV industry will need to learn new skills.
Almost 4,000 of the RV workers laid off between July and August have a high school education but WorkOne officials are noticing that many coming to apply for unemployment insurance do not have the computer skills to navigate the state's electronic filing system.
As Gov. Mitch Daniels announced recently, the state is providing a $3 million training grant specifically for local RV workers. Now WorkOne is giving skills assessment tests to determine the workers' abilities and potential career paths.
In addition, Cochrane said, the state is working with the local business community to identify available jobs and which skills are needed. Earlier announcements that 700 jobs were going unfilled in the orthopedics industry in Kosciusko County were found, by WorkOne, to be overstated and only about 150 positions are available.
Still, the state employment agency wants local businesses to come forward and let WorkOne know their needs, Cochrane said.
Project Plus
Shortly after Monaco Coach announced a massive layoff and plant closures in Elkhart County, state officials began hinting about the possibility of new jobs coming to the area.
Under the code name Project Plus, economic development representatives as well as community and state leaders began working with an unidentified international company that was considering Bristol as a possible site for its next plant. The endeavor would have brought a $100 million investment and created up to 700 new jobs.
"We did everything humanly possible we could have done," said Bill Wuthrich, Bristol town manager. "It was nothing we did wrong. I think it was handled properly."
The company was attracted to Bristol because of the town's proximity to the Indiana Toll Road and the available land was zoned and ready for building, said Dorinda Heiden Guss, president of the Economic Development Corp. of Elkhart County.
The company eventually crossed Bristol off its list, however, determining the community is located too far west of its other operations and transportation costs would be too high.
The multi-million-dollar investment would have bolstered Bristol's tax base, Wuthrich said, and provided more business for the town's restaurants and gas stations. It also would have provided jobs for workers in other cities and towns.
"It would have been a nice project for Elkhart County," Wuthrich said.