Asheville committee hears regional workforce briefing; emphasis on recovery dollars, housing and career pathways

Nathan Ramsey, executive director of the Land of Sky Regional Council, told the Asheville City Planning, Economic Development & Environment Committee on Nov. 18 that the region’s workforce challenges and opportunities are closely tied to recent storm impacts, housing costs and industry mix.

Ramsey opened by framing workforce development as a collaborative effort between cities, community colleges and employers, saying it’s “about the power of partnerships.” He told the committee the Asheville metro is roughly a $30,000,000,000 economy, has added “about a 100,000 people in the last two decades,” and that Hurricane Helene caused “about $60,000,000,000 in damages,” a disruption that still shapes labor-market conditions.

Why it matters: Ramsey said the region has returned some jobs after the storm but remains above typical unemployment levels in several sectors and faces persistent tightness in occupations that support health care, construction and hospitality. He told council members the region currently has an estimated 20,000 job openings, and highlighted that average earnings in the area are “just over $32 per hour,” below state and national averages while housing costs have climbed sharply.

Key points: Ramsey walked the committee through the region’s industry mix and where wages concentrate. He said health care, retail and hospitality are locally large employers, manufacturing has added jobs in recent years, and construction labor shortages limit housing production. On health care he warned that the region is older and sicker than state and national averages and that long-term care bed capacity has declined since before the pandemic.

Programs and strategies: Ramsey described multiple local and regional efforts designed to connect residents to careers. He cited Go Places, an initiative targeting out-of-school youth ages 16–24 in two high-poverty census tracts; an Inspire program to help people in recovery obtain employment; reentry supports and career-technical education partnerships with AB Tech and local K–12 systems. He also described the Land of Sky P–20 council that aligns with the state’s ‘‘My Future’’ credentialing goals and said philanthropic support from the John and Belk Endowment helped launch a multi-county pilot.

Council questions and follow-up: Committee members asked practical questions about using forthcoming recovery funding and about public data. Chair Maggie Ullman said the city expects large recovery infusions and noted a $5,000,000 allocation intended for workforce development; she asked how the city might target those dollars to build local capacity. ‘‘I’d really love that money be targeted towards…local business and local workers,’’ Ullman said. Ramsey encouraged investment in ‘‘earn-and-learn’’ models and registered apprenticeships and pointed to community colleges and NCWorks career centers as key partners.

Several members asked whether the Land of Sky data could be made more accessible. Ramsey recommended existing public resources — the Asheville Chamber’s economic statistics pages, NC Commerce’s NC Careers tools, and the Mountain Area Careers site — and acknowledged that some labor-market data will need updating. He invited the committee to coordinate with local partners to develop more current, public-facing dashboards.

Land use and access to jobs: Council members raised related concerns — preserving manufacturing-zoned parcels (citing a site on N. Candler) and ensuring transit connects workers to employers. Ramsey said land scarcity and topography limit large industrial sites in the region and that transportation, housing and workforce strategies are interdependent; he noted Land of Sky’s work on a regional workforce vanpool as one effort to improve access.

Outcome and next steps: The committee received the briefing, asked staff to follow up on data and program coordination, and discussed targeting the city’s recovery workforce allocation. The meeting also approved the 10/21/2025 meeting minutes by roll-call vote and recorded no public comments.

The committee adjourned and will continue council business later the same day.