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Perlmutter Associates

Recycling and Jobs in Massachusetts: A Study of Current and Future Workforce Needs







* (http://nerc.org/projects/completed_projects.html#reiupdate)



(http://nerc.org/projects/completed_projects.html#reiupdate) Perlmutter Associates

+ Government Recycling Staff


Percent of surveyed firms by recycling activity



Recycling Services Provided by Public Employees



Expected Job Growth By Sector



The Recycling Industry in Massachusetts is Growing



Recycling Categories Where Job Growth is Expected



Fastest Growing Occupational Categories Over Next 24 Months



Skill Deficiencies: Recent Entry or Mid Level Hire




Issues Most Closely Related to Difficulty Finding Qualified Workers


Factors that Could Drive Job Growth



Factors that

Could Result

in Layoffs or Decreased

Hiring



Recycling Workers

How h

How Found Job: word of mouth, Craig’s List

Training: mostly now informal, on the job; would like more leadership training, EH&S, skills for their job

Environmental Awareness: not necessarily motivator for applying for job, but has increased their recycling awareness and behavior

Recommend Job to a Friend: Yes, but it’s hard work!

Pride in What They Do: Yes!



RecommendationsRecycling Industry employer engagement with the workforce development community needs improvement— creating lasting partnerships will take time, but will pay off

The recycling industry is not clustered throughout the Commonwealth—working with these enterprises will require a regional approach

The recycling industry in Massachusetts needs an economic development strategy at least as much as a workforce strategy—the workforce development community should develop a relationship with the Massachusetts DEP and MassRecycle

Incumbent workers in the Massachusetts recycling industry want and need high quality training—including workforce readiness, supervisor and leadership education, and health and safety.

Promoting recycling jobs as “green” may not be effective as a recruitment tool in some job categories, but greater eco-awareness comes from doing recycling work



Recommendations for the Recycling Community???



Additional Recycling Job Resources


More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the U.S., BlueGreen Alliance http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/press_room/publications?id=0086

Putting Americans to Work, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industrieshttp://www.isri.org/iMIS15_Prod/ISRI/Home/Jobs_Industry/ISRI/Job_Industry.aspx?hkey=bc2e8f55-f751-4da1-bcc3-3ab5a86e53c5

Careers in Recycling, Bureau of Labor Statisticswww.bls.gov/green/recycling/

O*Net, The Occupational Information Networkhttp://www.onetcenter.org/overview.html

http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/press_room/publications?id=0086

http://www.isri.org/iMIS15_Prod/ISRI/Home/Jobs_Industry/ISRI/Job_Industry.aspx?hkey=bc2e8f55-f751-4da1-bcc3-3ab5a86e53c5

http://www.isri.org/iMIS15_Prod/ISRI/Home/Jobs_Industry/ISRI/Job_Industry.aspx?hkey=bc2e8f55-f751-4da1-bcc3-3ab5a86e53c5

http://www.onetcenter.org/overview.html


Amy PerlmutterPerlmutter [email protected]


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