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Labor analysis will show where, how to find workers

An analysis of the Charles City laborshed, performed by Iowa Workforce Development, will be presented at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 23, at the NIACC Center in Charles City.
An analysis of the Charles City laborshed, performed by Iowa Workforce Development, will be presented at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 23, at the NIACC Center in Charles City.
By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Even though the unemployment rate in Floyd County is currently at a historic low, there are still thousands of people who are looking for work or who have jobs but would consider switching for better hours, better pay or a better match of their skills.

That was one of the conclusions of a Charles City area laborshed analysis recently completed for the Charles City Area Development Corp. by Iowa Workforce Development.

The results of the state agency’s analysis, along with additional information on comparative wages and other related topics, will be presented at a free meeting at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 23, at the NIACC Center in Charles City.

Tim Fox, executive director of the Area Development Corp., said the laborshed analysis gives a clearer picture of the people who are looking for new or additional jobs, as well as how to find them and what it will take to hire them.

“We have a lot of people underemployed, either by a mismatch of skills or insufficient hours,” he said.

“One of the things we provide is a very detailed wage definition within the laborshed, so you can see if your wages are competitive, or just how you stack up with others in the same occupational classification,” Fox said. “That, I think, would be very useful for businesses.”

One of the details of the analysis is the geographic size of the laborshed. The laborshed is defined as the area from which people are willing to commute to work in a community.

In the case of Charles City, the analysis shows the laborshed stretches from Hancock County to the west, to the Minnesota border to the north, to Chickasaw County to the east and all the way to the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area to the south.

Cities that contribute workers to Charles City businesses include Mason City, Osage, New Hampton, Waverly, Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

The Floyd County unemployment rate dropped to 2.2 percent in May, according to Iowa Workforce Development. That’s historically low, but still higher than area counties.

Cerro Gordo County was higher at 2.3 percent in May, but Mitchell was 1.7 percent, Howard was 1.9 percent, Chickasaw was 2.1 percent, Franklin was 1.8 percent and Bremer was 1.9 percent. Butler was tied with Floyd County at 2.2 percent.

The average state rate was also 2.2 percent.

Floyd County’s unemployment rate in May fell from 3.0 percent in April, when the state rate was 2.5 percent.

There were 110 additions to the Floyd County labor force from April to May, Fox said, from 8,690 to 8,800.

“I think that’s a good, strong showing,” he said.

Fox said a laborshed study is important because it is the only method concentrating upon the supply, rather than demand, side of the labor equation.

“There’s a whole slew of information,” Fox said. “There’s wage information. There’s how people find jobs information. The whole study goes into a lot more detail.”

A summary of the analysis was distributed at a recent meeting of the Area Development Corp. board of directors. Here are some of the results of that summary:

  • 22 percent of those currently employed say they would be willing to change jobs.
  • 57 percent of those currently unemployed say they are looking for work.
  • 42 percent of homemakers say they would consider accepting employment.
  • 18 percent of retired persons say they would consider accepting employment.
  • Almost 2,300 people consider themselves underemployed, because of too few hours, mismatched skills or low income. But only about 4 percent of those who consider themselves underemployed do so because of their pay level, the study says.
  • The median wage for those most likely to consider switching jobs is $13.75 an hour. The median for a salaried person who would consider switching is $46,000.
  • Those who are likely to accept or change employment are willing to commute an average of 21 miles one-way.
  • More than 600 people who live in Charles City work in other communities.

 

 

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