2026 Workforce Outlook: Racheal Dami Odunewu

Odunewu’s 2026 Projection: We are going to unfortunately see labor shortages. From the trends in this area, we are seeing more of the younger generation move away from the area. We are also seeing immigrants who came to this area waiting to be done with whatever it is that brought them here, and then they up and leave. That is not a good projection for our workforce, but I do think we have an opportunity to work hard at retaining the younger generation and Gen Z. We’re going to come out better. It tells me there’s more work to do.

What are new trends in the workforce you’ve noticed in Springfield? What particular industries are doing well with hiring?
Our primary focus at Purpose Connect is identifying where we’re seeing the critical talent gaps and how our international students can help fill those gaps strategically. These are primarily positions in industries that stay open for 30 days or more, and in some instances, even eight or nine months. We are seeing talent gaps in hiring in health care, manufacturing, (information technology).

You work specifically with international students, so what has it been like this year when considering immigration policies, and how has that impacted the workforce?
Immigration policies have impacted the workforce from a place of fear and not necessarily factual information. We’ve had employers and industries that have been hit more than others. Those are organizations who are hiring workers from outside the United States. This does not impact organizations hiring workers who are already present in the U.S.

The labor market is nationally weak, and by the looks of it, it is weaker than we know due to data lags. What are some of those national challenges?
We’re constantly seeing a drop in the workforce participation rate. Unfortunately, right now, we are 7 available workers for every 10 job openings. That begs the question of how you fill the need for the three additional openings. We are seeing a significant loss happening as a result of the job openings that we have across the nation and within the state of Missouri. In manufacturing, there is about a trillion-dollar loss as a result of the labor shortage. That is something to think about, because oftentimes, employers are thinking about what it’s going to cost to hire an employee, but they’re not thinking about what they are losing as a result of the fact that a position is staying open for eight or nine months.

Specifically within the Ozarks, what have you seen businesses do to try to combat this?
What we’re seeing in the area is not very encouraging. We are seeing employers take the same approach: Post the jobs, share it with a few job boards, hope they’re going to get the talent with the right skillsets they need. We are not seeing employers being strategic. I mentioned there are specific roles we are seeing nationally where employers are having some struggles. They are taking the same approach as they would hiring a position that is not a critical talent gap. You cannot take the same approach that you’re taking filling a position that takes you two weeks or a month to fill.

Artificial intelligence in the workforce is becoming a bigger factor, and studies have found that AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs. What are you seeing in the Ozarks regarding this?
People whose jobs are threatened by AI are those who have nothing to leverage in partnership with AI. I don’t care how effective AI is or how it can take over a person’s job – it’s going to require human guidance at the level of effectiveness it needs to be. If the approach to AI is replacing humans, then we’re going to struggle and suffer hard. I don’t believe that’s the direction we’re going in this area. I’ve appreciated seeing some of the ways companies have embraced AI in the area.