Jobs 2.0: Key takeaways and watch the event recording

Adirondack Explorer’s Jobs 2.0 event highlights challenges, opportunities in the Adirondacks job market

More than 60 attendees came to Adirondack Explorer’s Jobs 2.0 event on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake.

• Here are the key takeaways from the event:
• The Adirondacks have strong potential for growth in trades, science, and technology jobs, but need to focus on building support networks and community spaces to attract and retain talent.
• Businesses in the region should prioritize investing in their employees and fostering a collaborative, supportive work culture to build a loyal and skilled workforce.
• There are opportunities to leverage the Adirondacks’ natural assets and quality of life to attract remote and hybrid workers, but infrastructure improvements like high-speed internet are needed.
• Collaboration between educational institutions, local government, and businesses is crucial to develop programs that prepare students for in-demand careers in the region.
• Initiatives like the Adirondack Innovation Initiative, aimed at building a tech ecosystem, can help connect and support remote professionals already living in the Adirondacks.

Watch the full recording, including an 5-minute introduction video by Eric Teed here:

Jobs 2.0: About this series

Fifty years ago, much of the Adirondacks’ industrial base shut down, taking jobs, capital and tax revenue with it. This introduced an era of high unemployment and poverty and a growing reliance on government jobs. By the 2020 pandemic, this era was itself fading. In this ongoing series, Adirondack Explorer traces the losses of the industrial age. We also look to the future: With a declining and aging population, the rise of remote work, an entrepreneurial renaissance, and the impacts of climate change and artificial intelligence on a new era for North Country employment.

This series is supported in part by a Generous Acts grant through Adirondack Foundation.

Sign up for the “Jobs 2.0” email list to receive periodic updates on this topic: www.adirondackexplorer.org/newsletters

Read all the stories in the series here