NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As more businesses build a home base in Music City, the need for certain specialized careers are growing along with it.
And with so many people moving to Nashville, you would think there would be plenty of opportunities for employers. The Wall Street Journal recently ranked Nashville as the second hottest job market in the U.S.
But CEO of staffing solutions company, Hamilton Ryker, Kelly McCreight says there’s a skills gap here.
“That’s the difference in what the company needs the worker to do versus the skills the person actually has,” McCreight said.
McCreight said construction companies are looking for trade professions as buildings continue to take over the downtown grid. But he says truck driver positions are the most difficult to fill for new companies moving into town.
“It’s been the hardest job to fill across the nation for the last three or four years is a CDL truck driver,” McCreight said.
But President of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Bradley Jackson says there is a level of popularity that a job in Nashville brings to the table.
“They have a large number of applicants who may be from out of town that want to come to this area,” Jackson said.
With the unemployment rate resting around 3% in Nashville, Jackson says he doesn’t see that number changing anytime soon. As businesses like Amazon and Mitsubishi are planning to bring thousands of jobs into the market.