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Cornerstone unveils two research studies at Roundtable Cornerstone unveils two research studies at RoundtableAt the Regional Roundtable on Economic development, the results of two studies, conducted by The Pathfinders and Ulrich Research Services Inc., were shared and discussed with attendees. The first study, The Jacksonville, Florida Area Labor Availability Report conducted by The Pathfinders, showed results of a study of our region’s workforce that summarizes existing employee skills and highlights growth opportunities within our targeted industries. The study found that the Jacksonville area and surrounding regions has approximately 137,300 available workers for new or expanding businesses. In the report, employers with operations in other regions of the U.S. were asked to compare their experiences in those areas with their experiences in the Jacksonville region. Employers with operations elsewhere stated that their Jacksonville area operations were comparable to or better than the operations in other locations in terms of profitability and production. This result indicates not only effective management, but also a highly productive workforce. Additionally, 94 percent of the employers in the Jacksonville area rated the productivity of the workforce as "Good" to "Excellent." The report also included workforce surveys that rated workers on factors including worker reliability, attitudes, teamwork skills, entry level skills and availability of skilled workers, unskilled workers and professional workers. The results are as follows:
The other study, a Business Opinion Survey conducted by Ulrich Research Services, surveyed 200 business owners in Northeast Florida about business trends, growth projections and how the local economy is faring in comparison to the slowing national economy. The survey found that 86 percent of the business owners rated the current national economy as "Fair" to "Poor" and only 13 percent rated the economy as ‘Good" to "Excellent." On the flip side, 53 percent of regional business owners rated the outlook of their own business as "Good" to "Excellent" and only 15 percent rated their outlook as "Poor." Of the business owners surveyed, 68 percent expected their company’s sales to increase or remain the same. Only 24 percent expected their sales to decrease. In relation to workforce size, 85 percent of respondents expected to increase or maintain their workforce, while only 14 percent expected to decrease their workforce. Additionally, when regional business leaders were asked to rate their top business concerns regarding the economy or industry, only 8 percent were concerned about a tight employment/job market and only 5 percent were concerned about the need for a dependable workforce. As a result of these studies, it is evident that Northeast Florida has an expanding, intelligent workforce that is available at all levels to staff incoming or relocating companies. The area’s talented workforce is comparable to or better than the workforce in other major cities including Atlanta, New York City, Indianapolis, Corpus Christi, and Spokane, Wash. Furthermore, it can be concluded that Northeast Florida’s business economy is fairing better than the national business economy. Regional business owners remain positive about their company’s future and are not concerned with a tightening job market or decreasing workforce because Jacksonville and the surrounding regions provide existing and incoming companies with an expanding job market and highly educated workforce. About Cornerstone |
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