News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Star Staffing owner Pam Richardson, left, and Star Staffing Vice President Chris Connelly look over job information while at work on Monday. The local unemployment number has fallen, but there are still many positions unfilled in Northeast Michigan.

ALPENA — The non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in Northeast Michigan dropped by more than 1 percent in August and there are still many job opportunities in the area that, if filled, could push the rate lower.

However, getting people to fill available jobs is challenging because of people’s wage demands, education and experience, work ethic, and a lack of housing.

In a press release Sunday, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) announced that Northeast Michigan, which includes Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, and Roscommon counties, saw its unemployment rate dip from 7.5% at the end of July, to 6.4% at the end of August.

The unemployment rate is calculated by the people who are jobless, actively seeking work, and available to take a job.

Total employment, or total number of people working, climbed in 15 Michigan labor market areas over the month, with a median gain of 0.6 percent.

Lower Michigan regions remained unchanged in the Northeast Lower Michigan region since July.

At the end of August, the DTMV said there were 90,600 people in the area’s civilian workforce, of which 84,800 were employed at the end of last month. At the end of July, the civilian workforce in the 11 counties was 91,600, but the number of people employed stayed the same. That is what led to the drop in the unemployment rate.

Alicia Wallace, marketing manager for the Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium in Alpena, said there are many jobs listed through the Michigan Works! service. She said there are jobs that fit people of most ages, educational and experience and it has been that way for a while. Filling them all is the hard part.

“Our job boards are full and a lot of businesses are seeking help,” Wallace said. “There are a lot of jobs available, but they may not be in the field that someone wants.”

Wallace said there are many jobs in the medical and lumbering fields, as well as many service jobs. She said in her opinion manufacturing is still strong and seeking more help.

Employment Services Inc. (ESI) which represents a host of local corporations and helps them with their hiring process, also seeks help often.

Jackie Krawczak, the corporate representative for ESI, said finding employees is only a part of the problem. She said finding ways to keep them is an issue and getting them to fullfill the obligation associated with the job they are hired for is complicated.

“From ESI’s perspective, the job market is still a challenge for the employer. There are plenty of opportunities available but there still remains competency, work ethic, and attitude gaps in many cases,” Krawczak said. “ESI is finding ways to address these issues, but it takes time. If there are people looking for work but are struggling to find a job, ESIs advice is to take steps to improve self awareness and become a more marketable applicant.”

Star Staffing owner Pam Richardson said she believes the drop in the unemployment rate is only temporary because there are indicators that some local manufacturers will be laying off help for the winter.

She added that businesses that need to hire more nuanced and professional employees are struggling to fill positions with people from the area. Richardson said it is hard to recruit potential employees from outside Northeast Michigan because of the current housing crisis.

Richardson said small local businesses seem to hire often, but because of people’s wage and benefit demands, they often lose candidates to other companies that can afford to pay more.

“Small businesses are struggling to hire, because people are seeking higher wages and benefits and that makes it hard for them to fill positions,” Richardson said. “Also, there are a lot of high-end jobs, but they are hard to fill because the people needed to take them can’t move here because they can’t find a place to live.”

Local businesses are promoting thrift job opportunities by posting open positions on the doors and counters of their businesses and posting them on social media. Many list them on employment websites such as Indeed, which can help attract talent from out of the area.

Indeed is a website which has page after page listing businesses seeking applicants for fast-food establishments, nurses, manufacturing positions, and most other types of work.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.