State of Our Workforce: Western NC Analysis has launched!

July 20, 2018

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The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, in collaboration with the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, the North Carolina Chamber Foundation, the Economic Development Partnership of NC, and the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board have joined to Study Regional Workforce and Employment Challenges

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The State of Our Workforce: Western NC Analysis has launched as a regional analysis to study workforce and employment challenges in 10 surrounding counties. The State of Our Workforce: Western NC Analysis is part of a statewide initiative organized by the North Carolina Chamber Foundation, powered entirely through regional efforts. RTI International will survey businesses in the region until September of this year.

“Businesses in North Carolina are frustrated. We have a great climate for growth and job creation, but businesses just can’t find the skilled workers they need. To solve that problem, we need to fully understand it—including how the skills gap differs across our state,” said Lew Ebert, president and CEO of the North Carolina Chamber. “The data and insights we’ll gain from the State of Our Workforce analysis will help guide regional solutions that work best for businesses, workers, students, and educators in the Western NC area, but they’ll also help inform statewide policy and decision-making. We’re proud to support these organizations as they take this critical step toward solving our workforce challenges.”

The first State of Our Workforce regional analysis was conducted in the Triangle in late 2017. The study found that employers in the Triangle expect to add up to 37,000 new jobs through 2020, but they still have serious concerns about finding the right talent. The analysis was a partnership between the Capital Area Workforce Development Board, City of Raleigh, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Wake County Economic Development and others.

If you are a business in one of the following counties, please follow the link below to complete the survey: Henderson, Madison, Haywood, Jackson, Transylvania, Buncombe, Yancey, McDowell, Rutherford, and Polk.

http://sgiz.mobi/s3/HCEDP