Higher Starting Wages Could Benefit High School Grads

Increasing starting wages could be good news for 2018 high school graduates entering the workforce.

Wages for first-time job seekers have seen a five-year increase of seven percent in the Upper Cumberland, according to the Tennessee Career Center (TCC).

Veterans Employment Representative Jill Osborne said despite the increase, the agency has more employers than job seekers.

“Employers are willing and ready to hire,” Osborne said. “It’s just a matter of getting the folks to the employers.”

Payroll processor ADP recently found fields with labor shortages – such as construction and trucking – have seen some of the biggest increases in starting wages.

TCC Site Lead Tony Scionti said the need for truckers in the Upper Cumberland is high.

“I’ve got trucking companies dying to hire folks,” Scionti said.

Osborne said a field to keep tabs on in the Upper Cumberland is the healthcare industry.

“People have been talking about the potential growth there,” Osborne said, adding an aging population could impact the field.

Osborne said there are multiple options available for those entering the workforce for the first time.

“I think it’s important for people that are entering the workforce at this time to really look at their options,” Osborne said. “If they’re not interested in going through a training program through a traditional school, find employers that are willing to train and get that on-the-job training.”

On a national level, ADP found the manufacturing, construction, and information fields to have a 6.5% or higher starting wage increase since March 2017.