Creative solutions for talent recruitment and retention

In today’s competitive job market, labor and talent shortages are among the challenges to finding and retaining the next member of your team. Now more than ever, employers must be creative and better connected to their community resources and partners to confront these challenges.

The Department of Workforce Services’ Chief Economist Mark Knold said that the labor shortages are an intersection of many variables, not just competitive wages. He identified one of those variables as a deficiency in developing and investing in talent.


September is National Workforce Development Month, and we'll be celebrating on our social media channels, so follow us on TwitterFacebookInstagram or LinkedIn to learn more about creative solutions for talent recruitment and retention.




As Utah’s job connection, the Department of Workforce Services has a team of Workforce Development Specialists to help you explore and invest in creative and proactive solutions for your business, solutions that also contribute to the frameworks that develop talent and provide learning opportunities to which the governor refers.



An investment in learning doesn’t necessarily have to mean “classroom” training. The investment could include creative solutions represented by on-the-job training, other worksite learning opportunities like internships or filling temporary gaps that job seekers or employees may be experiencing (e.g. transportation, work clothes or equipment, certification renewal fees). Such an investment may include the possibilities of subsidized wages or other resources for eligible candidates to promote basic career services through the Workforce Services and community partners.



Untapped Talent Pools
Additional creative solutions may include tapping into talent pools employers haven’t considered before or with which they haven't had much experience. The Workforce Development Specialists help facilitate webinars for employers to learn more about untapped talent from subject matter experts.The Department of Labor recognizes that businesses in many industry sectors are experiencing work and skill shortages citing the reality of fewer young people available to join the workforce than baby boomers leaving it.
  • Not all mature workers are ready to stop working, and many are seeking new opportunities and careers.
  • Click here to learn more about older Utahns in the workforce and consider this untapped talent pool as one of your next creative solutions for labor and talent shortages.
Consider the creative, cost effective and worthwhile strategy of worksite learning to recruit and retain your next talented team member. The Department of Workforce Services is here to facilitate this experience as well as explore other solutions to meet your workforce needs.



The Department of Workforce Services is for your business. Post your jobs, get access to 180,000 resumes, find economic data and more.