State to conduct Charles City laborshed study

Press Staff Report

The Charles City Area Development Corp. is partnering with Iowa Workforce Development and Iowa Economic Development Authority to complete a laborshed employment study for the Charles City area.  

This study will define which communities contribute to Charles City’s workforce, regardless of political boundaries. This defined area is called a laborshed area and is based upon commuting patterns, said Tim Fox, executive director of the CCADC.

“For the success of this study, we will be sending letters to employers in Charles City asking that they provide us with aggregate counts of their employees’ residential ZIP codes,” Fox said. “This will allow us to determine what the scope and scale of Charles City’s laborshed area is and better understand where Charles City’s workforce resides.”

The community recently did a laborshed survey in late 2017/early 2018 that pointed out there were thousands of potential employees in the area looking for jobs or who would switch jobs for different hours, better pay or a closer match to their skills and interests.

Fox said this new laborshed study is part of a regular rotation by Iowa Workforce Development to cover all the districts in the state.

Once the laborshed area is determined, a confidential residential telephone survey will be conducted to collect workforce characteristic information specific to the area.  

The survey call originates out of Cedar Rapids, so the incoming number will have the 319 area code, Fox said.

“It is possible that you may receive a text message from their 888 number as well, alerting you to expect a call from them to take the survey,” he said.

Survey questions will cover topics such as employment status, current and desired wages, current and desired benefits, education level and type of occupation among other things.

“Iowa Workforce Development will not be asking survey takers identifiable information such as name, social security number or date of birth.” Fox said.

“Participation in this study will help economic development efforts and support both current and potential employers” in the area, he said.

If you have any questions about the laborshed project, contact Katie Lippold at 515-281-3035 or Tim Fox at 641-228-3020.

The results of area laborshed studies across the state are available at www.iowalmi.gov/laborshed.