America’s economy is very good. Chester County’s economy is even better. But, Pennsylvania’s economy is just fine.

However, America’s economy does have a problem: a workforce deficit. It’s a serious problem that we must address or even Chester County’s economy will slow-down and Pennsylvania’s will shrink.

We commend Gov. Tom Wolf for approaching this issue head on. He rightly recognizes this may be the single biggest economic challenge.

This is especially the case in a state that tends to lag behind most others.

Like many suburbs, Chester County has more job openings than job-seekers. Recently, we had over 21,000 openings and just over 9,000 job-seekers.

This is both an economic and human challenge. Some employers hold back on plans to grow, knowing that they will not be able to find the staff or partners needed for growth.

In communities with higher unemployment and weaker economies like Philadelphia, this could be devastating.

Wolf has appointed a commission — led by the Pennsylvania Chamber and AFL-CIO — to develop a comprehensive plan to educate and train Pennsylvanians for the jobs of 2020 and beyond. They face three major challenges.

We don’t have enough people trained in the skills needed. Second, we are beginning a generational population shift. Baby boomers are retiring and there are too few millennials and iGens available to step-in.

Third, there are practical problems that keep would-be employees out of the workforce; such as limited public transportation and drug-addiction.

But, there is a path towards success. Let’s rethink our approach to high school education and career-paths and re-focus our community colleges and the state system of universities — and, engage our private universities in this discussion, too.

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Guy Ciarrocchi is President & CEO of Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry