You may not reflect on all the steps that the water you drink goes through before it comes out of your kitchen faucet. However, water treatment plant and system operators do. They monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges among several other things at water treatment plants to make sure what you drink is safe. The job requires a high school diploma or equivalent and a license.

Job growth is brisk, with 7,000 new job openings expected by 2024. With that said, local and state governments around the United States are worried about whether they will be able to successfully fill water infrastructure positions, as a labor shortage is projected in this field. In fact, water treatment worker is one of the jobs most at risk in terms of not having enough qualified candidates, according to an employment report by the Conference Board. Websites seeking to attract applicants for the water treatment industry boast that such jobs require no college degree, offer good opportunities for advancement as well as great pay and benefits, are resistant to recessions, and provide the ability to benefit society. It remains unclear whether or not increased automation may be able to help employers meet demands with fewer workers.

Other basic services jobs also have challenges. For example, the electric power industry is plagued by staggering estimates of 30% to 40% of its entire 400,000-person workforce being eligible to retire. The nursing profession has similar issues, with job openings continuing to grow due to the aging population in the United States but new nurses not entering the profession quickly enough to keep up with demand.

Case Discussion Questions 

1. What might employers do to help recruit more individuals into professions with potential labor shortages?
2. Local governments employ large numbers of people. What do you see as the potential pros and cons of working in a government job?
3. What do you see as a bigger problem, labor shortages (fewer applicants than jobs) or labor surpluses (more applicants than jobs)?
Explain your answer.