As a part of a larger economic study of Elkhart County, the county-wide 15-20 minute electronic 2018 Employer Needs Assessment is scheduled to begin in February targeting approximately 200 employers across different industries within the county. The survey link will be disseminated to select employers who will be asked to complete the assessment. The data provided by local employers will reveal drivers behind common employer problems and will be used to design strategies that enable the county’s workforce and businesses to be more efficient and effective.
Leading the economic study is consulting firm enFocus, working in close partnership with the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County. As part of the larger study, the 2018 Employer Needs Assessment will survey organizations throughout Elkhart County to identify the needs of employers of varying sizes and industries. This county-wide assessment will help address current workforce realities and future employer needs, and track the needs of employers over time to align workforce development programs. For a deeper understanding of employer needs, the survey will ask questions from the following areas: general hiring practices, trending hiring difficulty, employee recruitment and retention, and attainment of skill needs. Responses from Elkhart County employers will provide insight into several research questions in these areas.
“The primary objective of our work is to use insight obtained from the assessment to design strategies that will assist in addressing imbalances that exist between labor demand, hiring, and retention to support organizations establishing, relocating, or expanding their operations in Elkhart County,” states Connor Ratycz, an enFocus Fellow working on the project.“ We are eager to see what the data analysis yields and, more importantly, gain a more comprehensive understanding of the extent to which Elkhart County businesses are experiencing hiring and retention difficulties, and the top reasons for such difficulties across industries.”
Points to Highlight
- 15-20 minute online survey with survey link emailed to select businesses via email
- The survey will remain open for 1 month
- Approximately 200 employers from the county will take the survey
- Urge employers to please take the time to gather the necessary data and report accurately
- Findings and insight from the employers will be analyzed to provide direction for future recommendation
