A recent report titled the Generating Rural Opportunities in the Workforce (GROW) highlights the barriers and opportunities for rural workers to thrive in their hometowns. This joint effort by the University of Phoenix Career Institute and the Center on Rural Innovation reveals that rural workers often face significant limitations in their employment opportunities due to a lack of technology and access to training. Rural workers are more than twice as likely to feel limited in their employment opportunities compared to city and suburban dwellers (35% vs.
14%). Sixty percent of rural workers feel pursuing a career is out of reach. Nearly 70% of rural workers would leave their community to pursue employment, compared to just over half from urban and suburban areas.
Nearly two-thirds of rural Gen Z workers and over half of rural millennials feel held back in their careers due to their location. Amanda Weinstein, director of research at the Center on Rural Innovation, emphasized the need for economic opportunities within rural areas. She pointed out that the rise of the “knowledge economy” and technological jobs has adversely affected rural populations.
Barriers and Opportunities for Rural Workers
“For a large part because they just don’t have the technological infrastructure that larger cities have been able to build up,” said Weinstein. Although the tech gap between rural and urban areas is shrinking, rural communities still lag behind in high-quality internet access.
The Pew Research Center reports that 73% of rural residents have home broadband, compared to 77% in urban areas and 86% in suburban areas. Raghu Krishnaiah, Chief Operating Officer for the University of Phoenix, raised concerns about the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation, which he termed an “employment cliff.” “Companies can benefit just as much as workers from investing in the rural workforce,” said Krishnaiah. Weinstein noted significant interest in entrepreneurship among rural workers but highlighted a mismatch between available tools and opportunities.
She called for businesses, schools, and government to step up and open pathways to economic opportunities for rural residents. The GROW report suggests multiple strategies to bridge the gap for rural workers:
– Continued investment in broadband infrastructure is crucial. – About half of rural workers need to develop skills to build professional networks; local networking events and mentorship programs can help.
– Employers and institutions can assist rural workers in connecting with skills development opportunities to foster entrepreneurship. With these measures, rural workers could see improved access to career opportunities and be better able to meet their career expectations without leaving their hometowns.
