The Untapped Workforce: Talent Solutions Hidden in Plain Sight

Every community needs to get familiar with the phrase untapped workforce.

I’m talking about people who are able and eligible to work, but are still disconnected from the workforce because of barriers that are often practical, not personal. That includes opportunity youth who are not in school or working, justice system-involved individuals, English language learners, military veterans, people with disabilities, and even semi-retirees who still have skills, capacity, and value to offer. These populations are already present in our communities. The real question is whether we are being intentional enough to remove the barriers that keep them from plugging in.

This Is Not a Talent Shortage Problem Alone

But in many cases, talent is already here. What is missing is access, alignment, and support.

For example, Measure of America’s latest report on youth disconnection tracks millions of young people ages 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor working, a group often describ

ed as opportunity youth. That is not just a social challenge. It is a workforce challenge hiding in plain sight.

The same goes for people with criminal records who are ready for work but face hiring barriers, immigrants and English learners whose skills are underused because systems are not built with them in mind, veterans whose experience does not always translate cleanly in civilian hiring processes, people with disabilities who encounter access barriers rather than capability barriers, and older adults or semi-retirees who still want to contribute but are often overlooked.

ALICE Tells Us Something Important Too

Communities also need to understand ALICE data.

ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. In Georgia’s 2025 update, 14% of households were in poverty in 2023, but another 31% were ALICE households, meaning they were above the federal poverty line and still in serious financial hardship. In other words, a huge share of working households are employed, but still fragile.

That matters because workforce conversations are not only about unemployment. They

are also about underemployment, unstable work, childcare barriers, transportation, credential gaps, language access, and the kinds of wraparound supports that determine whether work is actually sustainable.

When you put ALICE data next to untapped workforce data, you start to see the bigger picture: communities do not just need more jobs. They need more strategic pathways into meaningful, sustainable participation.

Georgia’s Goal Makes This Even More Urgent

This is one reason Georgia’s workforce conversation matters so much right now.

Through EdQuest Georgia, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education has set a “North Star” goal: by 2033, 65% of Georgians ages 25 to 64 should have earned a postsecondary credential of value. The point is simple: what has gotten the state this far will not be enough to sustain future prosperity without more intentional action.

That kind of goal cannot be reached by focusing only on people who are already easy to serve.

It requires communities to think much more seriously about the people who have been left out, overlooked, underestimated, or disconnected by systems that were never designed with them in mind.

The Untapped Workforce Is More Diverse Than People Realize

One reason this conversation is so important is that the untapped workforce is not one group. It is a cross-section of people with different strengths and different barriers.

Opportunity youth

Young people disconnected from school and work often need more than a job posting. They need exposure, relationships, coaching, and clearer on-ramps into education and employment.

Justice-involved individuals

The U.S. Department of Labor and business groups alike have highlighted how work-based learning, employer partnerships, and second-chance hiring can expand workforce participation while also improving reentry outcomes.

English language learners

National Skills Coalition notes that immigrants are vital to the labor market and will make up more than 20% of working-age adults in the U.S. workforce by 2035, yet policy and workforce systems still do not fully reflect their needs.

Military veterans

Veterans bring leadership, logistics, operations, and team-based experience, but civilian hiring systems do not always know how to interpret military skills well.

People with disabilities

BLS continues to document large labor force participation gaps for people with disabilities, which points to a major missed opportunity for inclusive hiring and workplace design.

Semi-retirees and older adults

Older workers are often treated like a past-tense workforce, even though AARP reports that workers age 50+ show notably higher retention than younger hires. That is not a minor detail. That is real workforce value.

A Better Workforce Strategy Starts with Purpose

If a community is serious about economic development, civic health, and long-term prosperity, then it has to get serious about the untapped workforce.

Not as a side conversation. Not as a special initiative that comes and goes.

As a core strategy.

Because when communities identify overlooked talent, remove practical barriers, build mentoring and support systems, and create intentional pathways into work, everybody benefits. Employers get talent. Families get stability. Institutions get stronger. And communities become more resilient.

That is the opportunity sitting right in front of us.

Call to action:If your community is ready to think more strategically about the untapped workforce, let’s collaborate.

References

• MENTOR, Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™, Fifth Edition.

• Search Institute, Developmental Assets Framework and related resources.

• Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, EdQuest Georgia.

• United For ALICE, The State of ALICE in Georgia: 2025 Update on Financial Hardship.

• Measure of America, Broad Recovery, Persistent Inequity: Youth Disconnection in America.

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Workforce Impact of Second Chance Hiring.

• National Skills Coalition, Immigrant Inclusion.

• U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service annual reporting.

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, People with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics.

• AARP, Multigenerational Workforce Unlocks Untapped Value.