Industry Voices · Q&A · Forge
Jessica Cafferty, founder and president of RNG Group, discusses Idaho’s talent market, the skilled-trades shortage, and how AI is changing hiring.
Interview with Jessica Cafferty
Founder and President, RNG Group
For readers who may not be familiar with RNG Group, what does your team do and what kinds of companies and talent do you typically work with?
RNG is a boutique recruiting and headhunting agency founded in Boise with a focus on helping employers of all kinds find niche, technical, and executive talent across a wide range of industries and occupational levels. We’re exceptional at identifying and connecting with candidates that aren’t actively looking as well as building real connections that lead to lasting employment. People work with us because we’re damn good at recruiting, and we bring a fresh, fun, and nimble perspective to hiring.
From your perspective working with employers and job candidates, how would you describe Idaho’s talent and hiring environment today?
It’s an interesting hiring market in Idaho, and across the country. If I simplify it — it’s competitive and overwhelming. There are more job seekers on the market that we’ve seen in years past, and many of them have learned to use AI to represent them in submissions. Employers that post jobs are inundated with applicants that seemingly look good— because AI tools have learned how to craft resumes that align nearly perfectly with postings. But as you peel back the layers (interview), it becomes clear that some (many) of these applicants are misrepresented by AI that’s been asked to simply match job postings. This also further discounts those candidates that aren’t misrepresenting themselves— and makes it harder for them to stand out. What’s even more challenging, is you see employers now using AI to combat, well AI and it’s a bit of cluster— an impersonal, disjointed cluster at that.
There continue to also be some very tight labor markets (shortages) in specific sectors/roles like the trades and construction. Roles like electricians, plumbers, physical engineers (structural, civil, mechanical), and machinists are in very high demand and will likely continue to be.
You’re also involved with the Idaho Technology Council. What role do you see organizations like ITC playing in strengthening Idaho’s business and technology community?
I am and I’m grateful to be because I see the ITC being on the forefront of leading some of the initiatives that will shape Idaho’s economy in the near and long term. Idaho sits in an incredibly unique position given our ties to industries that other states are lucky to have a single relationship with. Here, we boast all three: Technology, specifically in high-demand semiconductor hardware, Energy: access to clean and diverse options with an already established footprint in Nuclear, and Agriculture: a strongly rooted community in farming and associated sub-sectors that have paved the way for businesses across the state to flourish. The ITC is uniquely positioned at the nexus of these three— and we’re working hard to bridge gaps and build on the resiliency of these industries. We believe Idaho can be (and will be!) the best place on Earth to build a technology company— and that the title of “technology company” is quickly changing— because we’re all technology companies today— regardless of what we sell.
More specifically, you’ll start to see more involvement from the ITC at the public policy and advocacy level— making sure that our member companies not only feel informed about issues that can quickly arise in the statehouse, but represented on those that they care about.
Lastly, we feel passionately about ensuring that Idaho has a healthy funding and capital ecosystem to help companies get started. We have some big initiatives on our horizon, but near term, we’re working with local members and partners (like Trailhead) to establish an all-encompassing, state-wide capital directory and roadmap as well as bringing more awareness to our venture partners (like Capital Eleven) and their funds. We see a world where more of Idaho’s dollars can and should fund more startups that lead to more “unicorns” (like Micron!).
What are you hearing most often from Idaho employers about their biggest hiring or workforce challenges?
Much of it ties to what I’ve mentioned above— Employers are worn out by the current state of hiring. In many cases, they’re overwhelmed by the inundation of applicants, but also discouraged by the reality that lies beneath. And on the flip-side, there are still those that truly lack the talent pool— especially for trades and new, emerging technology. There’s definitely also been a shift on the technology front— whereas hardware products (and their associated engineers) weren’t so “sexy” five years ago (in fundraising especially), now, that market is heating up and associated talent is becoming harder and harder to find.
There’s also another trend: many of the teams we work with are overwhelmed by the need to “keep up” and to move the needle on AI advancement, but also the desire to stay true to what drives profitability. You couple that with a couple of open positions or vacant seats, a turbulent economic forecast, and you can see why employers are left in a bit of a “lurch” when it comes to “what to do next”.
I do also see a trend of consolidation— I don’t think roles are quite disappearing (yet) with AI advancement, but I do think they’re consolidating. I think employers expect their team members to be able to do more now— to find ways to become more efficient through their use of AI tools/applications, and leaning in to more innate creativity and ingenuity. Where we may have seen employers hiring 2-3 accountants in years’ past, this year, I’d say we’re seeing maybe 1 or 2 hires. Learning how to let AI augment your value as an employee is becoming a very valuable skill.
As Idaho’s economy and technology sector continue to grow, what do you think the state needs to get right from a workforce perspective?
Bluntly, education. We must continue to invest in educating our population. We need third graders that can read (a direct indicator of incarceration rates (readingpartenrs.org) and a high “go-on” rate for post-secondary education. Birth rates are low across the country and there is only so much that AI will make up for in the next wave of retirements in the Baby boomers and Gen X. Programs like Idaho LAUNCH and public funding for all day kindergarten have huge impacts on these statistics and can help cover some ground for our future workforce. If we can get some of these fundamentals addressed, we can move on to more targeted/niche adjustments.
About this interview: The views expressed are Jessica Cafferty’s and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute for American Manufacturing & Technology. References to companies and organizations are provided for context and do not constitute an endorsement.
About Jessica Cafferty
View Jessica’s contributor profile
Jessica is the Founder and President of RNG Group, a one-of-a-kind recruiting and head-hunting firm dedicated to helping businesses grow and communities thrive. Partnering with companies across the country, but rooted in the Northwest, RNG has a vast experience across a variety of industries and occupational levels. Outside of RNG, Jessica serves as the Board Chair for the Idaho Technology Council, she is an active Board member for the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage and Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Idaho, and she is the “Talent Track” Chair for Boise Entrepreneur Week. She is wife to Jeff (a fellow entrepreneur and President of Freeform) and mom to Ketch (3.5), Nell (2), and Arlo (mini goldendoodle).