Council hears workforce development update as city readies second job fair

Pam Crum, who leads the city's workforce efforts in the economic development office, told the Hampton City Council that the city has strengthened a multi-agency workforce network and is focusing on helping underemployed residents increase earnings. "We have a lot of exciting announcements to make and share with you," she said as she outlined recent work to group services, build an integrated triage referral and expand neighborhood access points.

Crum walked council through the latest local income and labor figures, citing MIT and Census-derived estimates for living wages, and noted the city's median household income of $49,890 and a poverty rate that rose to 16.4 percent. She said the city's unemployment rate declined from 5.7 percent last year to roughly 5.0 percent this year, but emphasized that underemployment remains a problem: "We're hearing residents say, 'I can't find jobs' and businesses saying 'I can't find employees,'" she told the council. The program inventory includes the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development, New Horizons, the Virginia Employment Commission, Goodwill and several county and school partners.

A central element of the initiative is the triage system Crum described: a single checklist and referral path so any partner can route a resident to the program or partner best suited to meet their needs. She also highlighted ACT Work Ready credentialing and new "SNAP" shared network access points in libraries aimed at reaching neighborhood residents. Crum said New Horizons' work-experience placements, funded through WIOA, let students and other trainees gain city work experience without direct city payroll costs.

Council members probed outcomes and sustainability. Crum said the city's first job fair drew about 2,200 attendees and, based on employer reports, roughly 42 percent obtained employment, but added that follow-up data are limited; in a later answer she said, "The 2 glaring responses were they didn't show up for the 2nd interview, and the skills were the issue." Council members asked for more baseline metrics and for tracking that would show whether the city's investment reduces local unemployment or increases sustained employment for residents. Crum said some follow-up exists through case managers but acknowledged greater staffing and a clearer budget would improve evaluation. She estimated a potential budget need in the low hundreds of thousands to expand outreach and sustain the program.

Council members praised the partnerships and urged staff to return with measurable evaluation plans. The city manager and council discussed whether some functions could be reallocated within existing department budgets this budget cycle before a formal budget request is prepared.