Air Force Base Facing Dilemma of Aging Workforce

Nearly half the staff at the Wright-Patterson U.S. Air Force (USAF) Base near Dayton, Ohio, are approaching retirement age, reports WHIO TV . Filling these jobs and looking after employees is "critical," according to USAF Materiel Command Commander Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr. More than a third of workers at the Air Force Research Laboratory are eligible to retire, and close to 70 percent have at least a Master's degree. The U.S. Census estimated in 2017 that only 10 percent of Ohioans age 25 and older have an advanced college degree. Meanwhile, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education predict there will be 13,000 fewer Ohio high school graduates by 2032. Air Force Research Laboratory Deputy Executive Director Jessica Salyers said such numbers are very worrisome. Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education President Cassie Barlow added that the USAF must do more than work with academia to find potential replacements. "It's really time for companies to think outside the box in terms of attraction and retention and recruitment," she said.