The question that Baldwin County business owners ask consistently is "where will I get enough employees?" While potential employees want to know why it is so expensive to live in the area and if their jobs will be year-round or seasonal?

The Job Participation Rate came out in October for the State of Alabama and the percentage of prime-age workers  (25-54) decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point to 79.1% over the month. Over the year, this number increased by one percentage point from 78.1%.

As Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Marty Redden stated in an interview with 1819 News, “This month we experienced a slight increase in our labor force participation rate. Any growth is always welcome news,” Redden said. “Additionally, the year over year growth of prime age workers is also encouraging. Nearly 80% of those prime age workers are out there doing their jobs and providing for their families.”

The number of people counted as employed grew by 18,840 over the year to 2,280,863, a new record high. The civilian labor force also reached a new record high, with 24,084 more people joining over the year, bringing the new total to 2,350,134.

So what is causing nearly the lack of potential employees in lower Baldwin County? It appears to be a combination of items:

• Higher pace of retirements due to an aging population
• Slower population growth, nationally. Young people have been having less children for the past 20 years.
• Higher unemployment benefits - Alabama provides up to 14 weeks of unemployment benefits for new enrollees, with an additional five weeks if they enroll in a state-approved training program.
• Seasonality, meaning that many area jobs to not provide enough annual income.
• Cost of Living - This rate has been coming down in recent months due to the explosion of new aprtments on the market and government funded project.

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So what is the answer in a the lower Baldwin County tourism community? Much of the solution is already taking place and is expected to improve for the 2025 season:

• Provide more training to young students entering the workforce. The new Baldwin County Preparatory Academy opened this year near Loxley.
• A J-1 visa is an exchange visitor (EV) visa that allows people to come to the United States for a short-term program, such as study, research, teaching, or training.
• Internship programs - There are thousands of HRT (Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism) students within a few hours of Gulf Shores. Many of the students need to complete an internship before they can graduate.  Local companies can assign someone in their business to manage the program and communicate with the universities.

There are also resources available through the Alabama Costal Business Chamber.