To hear Michelle Socha describe it, “the money is there and the jobs are there.” What’s missing? The people.

Socha is a Northwest Michigan Works! business liaison for Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties. Getting people hired -- and properly trained to be hired -- is a key issue for Socha, who tells The Ticker she's now seeing an acute "people problem" in information technology and automotive industries.

A slew of local employers plan to attend upcoming career fairs in Traverse City – the IT Career Fair on April 8 and the Automotive & Diesel Career Fair on April 15 with jobs in hand and hopes of landing some new hires.

Among the higest paying of the positions open are software developers and programmers, systems analysts, and network administrators, IT jobs that pay $24-$28 hourly, according to Networks Northwest data.

While the data projects 30 new positions for software developers/programmers and approximately 20 for the other positions over the next five years, that is only part of the story.

"Local employers are telling us right now that there is a much higher need than the data shows," says Janie McNabb, COO of Networks Northwest.

Becky Kelderhouse, operations director for software company Northpointe, Inc.’s Traverse City office, says the search for qualified employees has been a major struggle for the company. She is participating in the IT Career Fair again this year. Her technical team of 12 includes software engineers and coders as well as quality assurance engineers. She has two openings – one senior level and one more entry level.

“It has been very difficult for us to fill vacant positions,” says Kelderhouse. “This is not a technical hub of talent.”

She says the majority of resumes she receives are either entry-level applicants or from job seekers still in school.

TC-based Safety Net has open positions for a senior network administrator, a vice president of business development and is also posting for summer internships.

“One of the challenges in our industry is the need to spend thousands of dollars putting an employee through high-level industry training, only to have another company snap that person up and capitalize on your big investment,” says Principal Beth Holmes-Bozung. “Unlike other ‘skilled trades,’ there isn’t an apprenticeship commitment. So we work hard at employee engagement and being an employer of choice, and try to grow the talent pool for everyone. A strong IT talent pool is critical for all businesses in our region.”

Similarly, local employers are on a massive hunt for skilled technicians and mechanics in the automotive and heavy equipment industries, with pay ranging from $12 to $25 hourly.

Rich King, fixed operations director for Bill Marsh Automotive Group in Traverse City, says he has had success at previous local career fairs, and those hired are still with the company. However, he notes, the region’s employer pool always needs more.

“Recruiting technicians is a never-ending event,” King says. “I could place five technicians today.”

At Traverse City-based Team Elmer’s, Tonya Wildfong says the hiring season is “very robust” with the company actively recruiting for numerous positions. It is specifically targeting diesel truck mechanics and heavy equipment mechanics in a program at Ferris State University and has also joined the university’s intern/apprenticeship program to give students real world experience. Wildfong says the company also works locally with NMC’s diesel program to find skilled talent.