Chamber announces unprecedented regional labor market study
Having an educated, well-trained workforce has been a focus of chamber efforts for years. To assist with promoting the Tulsa region to prospective new companies, expanding businesses and site selection firms, the Tulsa Regional Chamber has taken on the task of thoroughly assessing the regional labor market.
To ensure the region is positioned to address future workforce needs, the Tulsa Regional Chamber is commissioning a labor study by Site Selection Group of Dallas. The study is generously sponsored by Public Service Company of Oklahoma, OG&E and the Tulsa’s Future economic development program.
“The goal of this 16-week study is to accurately assess our regional workforce strengths, and to identify our weaknesses,” said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber.
The study will gather data for all seven of the industries targeted within the Tulsa’s Future: energy; aerospace and aviation; health care; transportation and logistics; advanced manufacturing; information technology; and professional services and regional headquarters.
The regional study will cover 11 counties: Tulsa, Rogers, Wagoner, Creek, Osage, Okmulgee, Mayes, Muskogee, Washington, Cherokee and Pawnee.
“The Site Selection Group is excited to conduct this study for the Tulsa region,” said Josh Bays, principal of Site Selection Group. “We are confident that its results will assist in ensuring northeast Oklahoma has the skilled and educated workforce necessary for economic prosperity.”
Key components of the assessment will review commute times; underemployment; the workforce pipeline and future demand; education and industry gap analysis; and wage and benefits.
The study will be conducted in five phases: needs assessment; target industry profiling; regional employer/workforce surveys; workforce assessment; and executive summary.
“I am excited about the insights this study will yield,” said Brien Thorstenberg, senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “I am confident it will give our regional companies the information they need to be most effective in their talent attraction and retention efforts.”
An integral part of the study is conducting both workforce and employer surveys, in addition to speaking with regional employers. Each survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Regional employers and employees are encouraged to participate in the study by following the links below.
Employee/Individual Survey: bit.ly/TRCemployeesurvey
Employer Survey: bit.ly/TRCworkforcesurvey
