Once again as I read the article “Otter Creek brew pub closing after this weekend,” before reading I knew another Addison County business was going to complain about the lack of employees for the reason of business closing, “A number of factors led to this decision, including the pub’s business trends and the challenging labor market…” Could it just be that the people running the businesses are not that competent? A company can save more money by shutting down an aspect of the business? There are many other reasons the business owners decide to close.

I have personally applied for over 35 jobs in the Addison County area over the years, I have a college degree, uninterrupted employment history (40+ years in the workforce), many skills, flexible way of thinking, and most importantly a great work ethic. Unfortunately, those attributes are “interpreted” as not an ideal candidate. They are looking for someone younger (can pay a lot less) or hire someone out of state — after all they spend 2-4 months in the hiring process to find the ideal candidate only to have that person leave after a few years! Did they ever think that there might be something wrong with their hiring process?

Bottom line, this isn’t just an Addison County problem, it is a U.S. problem. I’m over 55 years old, not looking to “climb the ladder,” not interested in all of the company drama, just want to work.

Michael Conroy

Middlebury