Barriers are growing as employers work to meet local workforce needs
May 27, 2021, WABASH COUNTY, INDIANA — Employers in Wabash County are casting a wider net to fill their
labor needs and are considering relocation in order to scale their operations. Regionally, there is a similar
picture. The 11-county northeast Indiana labor force has decreased by 10,000 people or two percent and this
trend has greatly increased the competition for workers, especially skilled labor, around Wabash. In a candid
interview with the Imagine One 85 planning team, a local business owner expanded on the challenge.
“We’re on the cusp of scaling our operation right here in Wabash County, but the limitations or the risks we
see have to do with people. We need skilled operators and we’re looking farther and farther and offering
more and more.”
-Business Owner, Wabash County, IN
There is a strong, demonstrated link between economic output and the vitality of the local labor force.
Population decline further stresses the system, as young people – especially those with a college degree – migrate
to other communities. Considering the majority of new jobs in the county (59%) come from business start-ups,
this out-migration is troubling. Additionally, while the unemployment rate quickly recovered from a COVID-19
high of 16.5% back down to 4.5%, the labor force participation total (those actively employed or looking for
work) has fallen at a faster rate than the population: from a high point of 18,400 in 2002 to just over 15,000 in
- This nearly 20% decrease is six times the regional decline and twice the population decline. The impacts to
small business are just as acute, shares Brian Howenstine, owner of True Value Hardware.
“It doesn’t really matter if you have a big production business or a small shop, it’s all about people. If I can’t
find reliable labor, I can’t turn that sign every morning. The problem here is the change is so slow. We almost
don’t notice the decrease. But, I can tell you, if you’ve tried to hire a staff, you get it. You see it and you want
to be part of the process to reverse it.”
-Brian Howenstine, Owner, True Value Hardware
Chair, Imagine One 85 Steering Committee