Norwich - Local employers are finding it much harder to locate people to fill jobs in southeastern Connecticut today than they did a few years ago, according to a panel of experts who convened Tuesday for a forum at Dime Bank.

"Three to four years ago if we posted a job, we'd get 50 applicants; now we're lucky if we get 10," said Tracey Stadnicki, employment specialist for the Mohegan Sun.

Janice D'Amelia, another Mohegan Sun recruiter, said the lack of applicants tends to vary from job to job. The casino can get 100 applications for a dealer position, which people know pays good money, but other jobs are less coveted, she said.

And even among those who apply for a job, the percentage that are actually qualified to fill positions is shrinking, said panelists for the "Building Bridges to Employment" forum sponsored by the Job Development Leadership Council.

"Today, if you get 10 percent that are qualified for that job, you are lucky," said Bill Richardson, owner of New London-based Richardson Staffing.

Part of the problem, the recruiters agreed, has been employers' decision to move more and more positions to part-time work with no benefits. One of the frustrations, they added, is the number of people who take a job but then leave after only a few weeks - perhaps to take another position.

"Turnover is greater than it was," D'Amelia said.

Tony Sheridan, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, pointed to another possibility, considering that the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board most recently had 230 jobs posted on its website.

"What might be happening here is people have choices," Sheridan said. "They're picking and choosing where they want to work."

But some people have no choices at all, the panelists said, because they have no way to get to work.

"The biggest obstacle for us is an individual with transportation," said Richardson. "Eastern Connecticut has been forgotten when it comes to public transportation."

But Ginger Morse, mobility information specialist for the Eastern Connecticut Transportation Consortium, pointed out that there are some options for people lacking transportation, including the RideShare program. Though the program can be used only over a two-month period, she said workers are encouraged to develop friendships with other employees who can help with rides later on.

As for jobs that are the most promising locally, panelists said maintenance mechanics, plumbers, electricians, information technology professionals and X-ray technicians are among the areas of shortages.

"We somehow forget the value of a trade," Sheridan said. "There's a huge shortage right now."

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow