With the passage of WIA, Congress was very clear in its intent that the vocational rehabilitation program work closely with other government agencies and private industry to ensure the employment of people with disabilities. The Division is committed to this endeavor in West Virginia. By the year 2005, total employment is projected to grow by an additional 18 million jobs. Last year in West Virginia alone 9,613 new jobs were created and we expect another record number this year. At the same time, unemployment is down near a record low of five percent and there is a growing, some say critical, shortage of qualified workers in industries across the board.
Business executives say the growing labor shortage is one of their biggest worries.
There's increasing competition for qualified people at all levels, from the entry level to the executive suite. And the business community is worried it will get worse before it gets better. While employers in both the public and private sector have become more enlightened about diversity and disability employment practices, hiring is now and always will be based on finding the best qualified for the job. They need our skills as employees and our patronage as customers. As I see it, the Division's job is to ensure our customers have the expertise in their chosen profession in order to take advantage of these changes.