The Ulster County Development Corporation (UCDC) is pleased to share with you a recently completed Ulster County Area Workforce Report (the Report).
Background
The information presented in the Report was prepared independently of UCDC by The Pathfinders, a Dallas based firm that provides services in the areas of strategic planning for economic development, corporate site selection, feasibility studies, and workforce analysis. This Report represents the objective and professional view of The Pathfinders with regard to workforce availability, cost, skills, and quality that a new employer can expect in the Ulster County area.
It is widely recognized that in virtually every instance, the local workforce is a dominant factor in a company’s choice of a new location or decision to expand. This factor was the principal impetus for the development of this Report.
While the data in this Report has value as a workforce development tool, its design and purpose is for use as a business recruitment tool. The target for this report is a company considering the Ulster County area as a location for a new or expanded operation.
The data in this Report refers only to those people who indicate a desire to change or upgrade their job and how have the skills, experience and education to qualify then for a job at the salary they desire. Therefore the report addresses only that segment of the workforce that contains potential candidate employees for a new employer.
Findings
There are thirteen counties in the Report area that comprise the “labor shed.” Within this area the Report found:
- A civilian workforce of about 560,700 workers.
- Approximately 21,500 unemployed workers.
- 102,000 currently employed workers having an interest in changing jobs and those workers who possess the skills experience, and education that would appear to qualify them for a job upgrade at the pay rate they specify to change jobs.
- There are roughly 15,400 people, neither employed nor seeking work, who might re-enter the workforce for the proper job.
Experience and skill categories are used in the Report to provide accurate workforce data for employers. The skills are in four broad groups:
· Manufacturing, assembly, fabrication and other industrial operations.
· Office, data processing, call centers or other “white collar” operations.
· Distribution or transportation operations.
· Operations related to sales or customer service.
In the Ulster County area underemployed workers were most experienced in office/data/ word processing and customer service. The workers were most skilled in office/data/word processing with warehouse/materials handling, telecommunications, and technician/quality assurance second. Of the underemployed individuals, almost 30% have some college experience, 16% have associate degrees, and another 26% have earned four-year college degrees or higher.
The Report documents the number of underemployed workers in the labor shed who would be available for an employer at various rates ranging from $7.00 per hour or below to $25.00 per hour or above. The pay rates they specify to take a new job are reasonable when compared to their existing pay rates. About 25% of those workers would take a new job for about $12.97 per hour or less. At the upper end, the 25% most qualified and experienced will command more than $25.07 per hour.
Conclusion
The Report’s findings support the general belief that the Ulster County labor shed contains a workforce that has both quality and quantity. As the data shows, there exist potential employees that are experienced, trained, and accessible.
Equally important is that the findings, along with the supporting data, can be valuable tools for existing as well as relocating businesses. The data can be utilized to aid existing businesses formulate their expansion plans. Similarly, such data, produced independently of UCDC, will be a critical element of the site-selection process for those businesses evaluating Ulster County as a possible location to establish a new facility.
To view the report click here or call 845-338-8840.
