The Northeast Missouri Development Partnership has retained the Growth Services Group, a national labor market research consulting firm, to administer a local household phone survey. The phone survey will be conducted by Answer Net a large national call center. The goal of the survey is to identify the available labor force at the local or regional level by type, education, experience, skills, costs, and under what conditions would be available for employment.
This area of research, from the household survey, reflects the views and perspective of workers and non-employed from age 18 through 64 and represents the supply side of the workforce. The findings reflect both the current and desired work opportunities of the Available and the Underemployed component of the workforce. This data complements public data sources since it only reflects a component of the total workforce.
Labor is a key factor in site selection. In fact in Area Development magazine’s 2014 Corporate Survey, “availability of skilled labor” was the number one factor for site consideration. GSG reports quantify the labor availability so that the local labor force assets are clear to those who are looking to potentially employ them. The respondent’s comments will be confidential and only reported in the aggregate or grand totals.
According to NMDP Chairman Mark Grieshaber, participating in the survey is very important. Grieshaber went on to add, “The results from the survey will assist International Site Selectors and Existing Business Leaders as they evaluate the area’s human resource assets for “Underemployment, Available Skills, and Desired Wages,” thus allowing potential employers to match their labor needs or demand with our local area’s labor supply.”
According to Grieshaber, It is the Northeast Missouri Development Partnership’s mission to attract quality businesses to the region from around the world, and to maintain foundational efforts to improve the region’s competitiveness.