Knowledge workers must continually upgrade and adapt their skills to meet the needs of the work place. Examples of such people include computer software and hardware specialists, machine controls experts, and soft technology people such as quality and marketing experts. The challenge for rural companies is that these people can and do, to a large degree, choose where they want to live. Thus, a small firm in a rural community seeking to hire a bar coding expert will find itself competing in terms of pay and quality of life with larger firms in major metropolitan areas. Many times the smaller firm, or the community, loses.
Smaller firms find themselves with at least two problems.
Output per worker lags, which limits resources that can be used to acquire the resources to help ease the problem. At the same time, skills that are also needed are difficult to attract and retain due to interests and loyalties that are beyond the direct control of the employer. The answer to this dual problem may lie in companies engaging in two types of efforts. In the first case, companies need to focus on the issue of comparative productivity by working with available resources to increase the productivity of the people they now have on staff. While firms face the challenge of attracting and retaining skilled people, communities must become more attractive places to live.