[미국] 수도사업자, '코로나19'로 인력부족 비상사태
AWWA, 수도시설 유틸리티 및 서비스 제공업체 회원을 대상 설문조사 결과
물관리를 통한 공중 보건 개선, 환경 보호 활동을 이어오는 미국의 비영리 교육 협회 AWWA(American Water Works Association)는 수도시설 유틸리티 및 서비스 제공업체 회원을 대상으로 ‘코로나19’ 바이러스의 대유행이 AWWA 회원 조직에 미치는 영향을 파악하기 위해 10월 5일부터 20일까지 5일간 설문조사를 실시한 결과, ‘코로나19’로 인한 인력부족과 공급망 유통의 어려움을 겪는 것으로 나타났다고 밝혔다.
설문에 응한 416개 공익사업자 중 40%는 현재 특히 수도사업자, 서비스기술자, 운전기사 등의 직책에 대한 직원 채용에 어려움을 겪고 있다고 답했다. 또한 올해 직원 이직률이 11%에서 21%로 약 두배 가량 증가한 것으로 나타났으며, 직원의 코로나19 감염으로 인한 격리가 수처리 및 사업장 운영에 영향을 미쳤다고 밝힌 응답자는 30%인 것으로 드러났다.
비유틸리티 응답자 중, 채용 문제를 보고하는 기관 중 55%가 엔지니어링 직책을 충원하는데 어려움을 겪고 있다고 답했으며 서비스 기술자(36%), 행정직(27%)이 뒤를 이었다. 비 유틸리티 응답자 중 고용 문제를 보고한 조직의 55%는 엔지니어링 직위를 채우는 데 어려움을 겪고 있다고 답했으며 서비스 기술자(36%)와 관리 직위(27%)가 그 뒤를 이었습니다.
AWWA의 이번 설문조사는 416개의 공공시설과 컨설턴트, 제조업체, 서비스 제공업체 및 기타 비유틸리티 회원으로부터 28개의 응답을 포함하여 455개의 응답을 받았으며, 특히 10만 명 이상의 대형 유틸리티일수록 시설운영 등에 더 많은 어려움을 나타냈다.
대형 유틸리티 응답자의 72%는 수도관을 비롯한 차량(48%), 전자 장비(46%) 및 화학 물질(45%)등 기타 공급망을 구하는 데 어려움을 겪고 있다고 밝혔다. 반면 개인 보호 장비(PPE)의 가용성에 대한 우려는 감소한 것으로 나타났다.
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Staff shortages, clogged supply chains latest water sector pandemic challenges
The water sector is grappling with staff shortages and clogged supply chains triggered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey conducted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) of its utility and service provider members.
Forty percent of the 416 utilities that responded to the survey said they currently are struggling to hire staff, especially for the positions of water operator, service technician and driver. In addition, utility respondents indicated their employee turnover rate has nearly doubled to 21%, compared to 11% earlier in 2021. Illnesses and quarantining have impacted field and water treatment operations in about 30% of surveyed utilities.
Among non-utility respondents, 55% of organizations reporting hiring issues said they are struggling to fill engineering positions, followed by service technicians (36%) and administrative positions (27%).
The AWWA survey, conducted Oct. 5-20, is the fifth in a series of surveys to assess the real time impact of the coronavirus pandemic on AWWA member organizations. The latest survey generated 455 responses, including 416 unique utilities and 28 from consultants, manufacturers, service providers and other non-utility members. Larger utilities, especially those serving populations over 100,000, typically reported more challenges than smaller utilities.
Seventy-two percent of responding utilities reported difficulty obtaining pipes or other infrastructure components. Utilities also reported supply chain issues with vehicles (48% of respondents), electronic equipment (46%) and chemicals (45%).
Concern about the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) has dropped, with 11% of utilities indicating a current supply issue compared to a high of 56% in April 2020.
At the start of the pandemic, the most common utility efforts to help financially burdened customers included suspending water shutoffs and/or late payments, with nearly 90% and 80% of utilities, respectively, enacting these policies. Of the utility respondents in the latest survey, about 63% had re-instituted shutoffs and late fees. Additionally, 34% of utility survey respondents said their customers had access to some type of Customer Assistance Program (CAP) prior to the pandemic and another 38% said they established such a program during the pandemic.
Just 10% of all survey respondents reported difficulty getting vaccination access and priority, a significant drop from 36% earlier in 2021. Fifty-nine percent reported that at least half of their employees are vaccinated, including 58% of utilities and 77% of non-utilities. Most organizations are tracking vaccination status.
Seventy-one percent of all respondents said their organizations do not have a vaccine requirement policy and are not considering one. Twelve percent of utility respondents reported having a vaccine requirement, including 29% of very large organizations. Twenty-one percent of non-utility respondents reported having a vaccine requirement.
[출처 = AWWA(https://www.awwa.org/AWWA-Articles/staff-shortages-clogged-supply-chains-latest-water-sector-pandemic-challenges1) 2021년 11월 23일자 보도자료]