Why Conduct a Labor Assessment and availability Survey?
Is your economic development group, chamber of commerce, or community interested in expanding or diversifying your economy? Are you interested in:
• Retaining existing businesses?
• Promoting expansion of existing businesses?
• Attracting new businesses to the area?
• Helping new businesses start-up locally?
• Creating education/training that is responsive to businesses needs?

If so, securing accurate documentation of the quality and availability of labor in your area can be essential to ensuring your community’s economic well-being.

Business and site selectors need up-to-date labor information to make sound decisions. Firms considering locating or expanding can often conclude incorrectly that there is not a sufficient amount of qualified labor to meet their needs. Without a labor study, your region’s labor force may be inaccurately characterized as being unable to meet the needs of those expanding or relocating, because of low unemployment rates or absence of information documenting the quality of your area’s labor force.

What Does a Labor Survey Do?
By studying the labor skills and availability of your “labor basin,” the Docking Institute’s University Center for Survey Research can:
• Assess the labor supply, availability, and skill level of a region
• Assess the working status, salary levels, job types, and educational and training levels of labor pools
• Estimate the number of people who are currently looking for new employment or are willing to change jobs or occupations for the “right” opportunity
• Estimate all eligible underemployed workers including those with training greater than is necessary to hold their current position
• Estimate all eligible underemployed workers including those whose current wage is less than at their previous employers’
• Estimate the number of employees potentially available for general occupational categories (manufacturing vs. service)
• Assess the willingness of people to commute for potential jobs
• Determine skill levels by occupational category and identify skill deficiencies of the labor force based on the opinions of employers

Custom Services
The UCSR will work with you to develop a labor survey project tailored to your specific concerns and needs. Professional services provided by the UCSR include:
• Development of a questionnaire
• Set up a Sampling Plan
• Develop report based on analysis of the survey data
• Time frame for the successful completion of the project
• Text and electronic report format
• Public presentation of the findings

Recent Clients
The Docking Institute has performed over 40 labor surveys for regions and communities. Our recent clients include:
• Manhattan, KS Chamber of Commerce
• Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments
• Development Corporation of North Platte, NE
• Columbia Regional Economic Development, Inc.

Copies of labor studies may be accessed through our archives.

Cost of Services
A custom proposal and cost estimate is available upon request at no cost. Contact Mike Walker.