"Hands down, No. 1, not even a close second, workforce""

Top executives at four chambers of commerce in the Upstate said their advocacy and lobbying for business interests are regional and they are rarely competitors. They agree that with thousands of vacant jobs in the Upstate, workforce development is a major challenge.

Greenville chamber President Carlos Phillips said the drop in unemployment, from over 12% in 2009 when it was an “employers market,” to below 5%, makes workforce the region’s top economic development issue.

“In the Upstate we have roughly 18,000 vacant jobs, so demand for workforce far exceeds supply,” Phillips said Thursday. “We can talk about infrastructure. We can talk about a lot of other stuff. If companies large and small can’t find the talent they need that could risk the great and prosperous economy that we have in the region. Hands down, No. 1, not even a close second, workforce.”  Click here for more...