The Water Workers: Workforce Opportunities in Water Management in Southeast Louisiana

Report by Nihal Shrinath, Allison Plyer
December 23, 2014


Southeast Louisiana has an unprecedented opportunity to shape a growing water management (WM) economic cluster focused on the costly restoration and protection of our coast. This cluster holds promise for employing thousands of workers in relatively high-paying jobs requiring low-to-moderate levels of education/training. But WM faces competition from the oil and gas and local construction clusters for these workers. If leaders across industries work together to shape and scale up investments in skills training and education, as well as address transportation, this employment boon stands to benefit both workers and employers across Southeast Louisiana.