Water works job fair connects jobseekers and industry employers to bridge labor gap

Jobseekers connect with employers in the water industry at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources office in Milwaukee on Wednesday. The event was held to discuss infrastructure jobs and the growing number of job vacancies in the water industry. (Staff photo by Ethan Duran)

Employers in the water industry met with jobseekers at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources office in Milwaukee on Wednesday to discuss infrastructure jobs and the growing number of job vacancies in the water industry.

Work in water piping and filtering is not only crucial but constantly in demand, DNR Secretary Preston Cole said at the event. About 20 public and private water companies — joined by local colleges and others — were seeking talented people who were willing to go to work immediately and boost their careers in other ways. 

“Folks in this room looking for jobs in the water industry, we need you now. Not yesterday, but now,” Cole said at the event. “I can’t think of any other profession where you work every day.” 

The Milwaukee Water Works held the event with the Milwaukee Water Commons, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and Veolia Water Milwaukee in an event space on the first floor of the DNR’s Milwaukee office. 

The fair was meant to make guests more aware of jobs in the water industry, Milwaukee Water Works Water Plants Operations Manager John Bielinski said. The department has been dealing with a lack of job applicants, partly owing to the pandemic, and resulting workforce shortages. 

“There are good benefits, a pension and it’s steady work,” Bielinski said. “The things we do always have to be done, and there’s no shortage in the demand for water.” 

Private companies including Strand Associates, J.F. Ahern and Michels Corp. were joined by the Milwaukee Department of Public Works and MMSD to talk to potential job candidates. Industry leaders, labor union officials and seasoned water-industry workers were also on hand.

Though the job fair offered no guarantees that seekers would find jobs, there were plenty of opportunities to meet employers. 

DNR Secretary Preston Cole speaks to prospective water industry jobseekers on Wednesday. “Folks in this room looking for jobs in the water industry, we need you now. Not yesterday, but now,” Cole said at the event. “I can’t think of any other profession where you work every day.”

“It’s like speed dating,” Cole said. “I know cards, resumes and applications are handed out.” 

Kevin Shafer, executive director of the MMSD, said his organization is looking for qualified people to do work “we all need to have done.” 

“This is a good turnout, and I like the diversity of the turnout,” Shafer said. “It helps reflect the city we serve.” 

“It’s been hard to find people since the pandemic, and having a job fair closes the gap and brings in people who wants to help their communities,” Shafer added. 

Representatives of the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council and the Laborers Union, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Area Technical College were also present, speaking to both jobseekers and prospective students. 

Hogan Szumski, 22, said he’s interested in working with MMSD because the type of work done there is similar to what he’s studying. Szumski, a native of the Milwaukee area, is taking classes in chemical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and wants to travel and take some time for himself before finding a job in water management. 

C.J. Caraos, 22, started her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee majoring in environmental science. She said she was interested in a crew leader position to lead youth groups in land stewardship and invasive-species removal, but her dream was to be a field biologist, “a land surveyor or collect data to solve problems.” 

Vacancy rates in the workforce for public water jobs are now as high as 25%, Milwaukee Water Works said in a statement. The demand for water industry workers rose after federal money started flowing into water-infrastructure and water-quality projects. 

“When we say integrated, we mean we want to think about different water management companies owned by different people,” Milwaukee Water Works Spokesperson Brian Rothgery said. The holistic view would gather employers – whether in drinking water, wastewater and storm water management – to build more inclusive and sustainable communities. 

A national One Water Summit will be held in Milwaukee from Sept. 13 to 15, according to the U.S. Water Alliance’s website.