Labor Market Analysis Highlights Quality Workforce and Changing Occupational Patterns

DECATUR, IL – The Economic Development Corporation of Decatur-Macon County (EDC) today released details of an independent Labor Market Analysis which indicates that Decatur and the surrounding area is a region in transition and one which can meet the workforce needs of nearly any potential employer.

Conducted in the Spring of 2002 by Northern Illinois University’s Center of Governmental Studies at the request of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the study utilized independent staff to interview employers and workers alike. Specific employment groups included in the survey were agricultural/agribusiness, insurance/finance, information technology, computer/electronics, manufacturing, healthcare, medical devices/supplies and technology.

“The study reinforced what we already knew, the Decatur area has a welleducated, highly productive and stable workforce that ranks among the best in the nation,” said Ken Smithmier, Chairman of the EDC Board of Directors. “This analysis not only verifies this but also gives us even more information on one of our greatest assets as we work to retain and attract employers – our labor force.”

Responses from employer interviews and household telephone interviews within a 35-mile radius identified workforce data including unemployment, underemployment and availability of jobs in relation to skills of workers. Of the total potential workforce in these categories, nearly 85,000 are considered underemployed.

These are individuals who are retired and re-entering the workforce or employed in jobs which require a lower skill or education level than the employee possesses. This information is critical to local businesses considering expansion and to businesses from outside the area evaluating Macon County as a potential location.

Craig Coil, President of the EDC, said, “A lot of positive information was gleaned from this analysis. One of the most interesting findings of the study shows the composition of the local workforce by occupation. Despite some of the commonly held perceptions about the Decatur area, there is a very diverse mix of employment by both occupation and industry. More than 35 percent of employment by occupation for the area is considered management/professional; 26.6 percent is sales/office; 15.2 percent is service related; 14 percent is production/transportation; and 8.2 percent is construction/maintenance.”

“The information gathered also reinforced the fact that one of the major challenges to successful economic development is that many of our own people have a poor self-perception of the area,” Coil said. “To a certain degree, that’s not a surprise, but we need to focus on the abundant positive attributes of Decatur and Macon County. By pulling together and recognizing what makes this area great, we will build a strong foundation for not only economic development but for general community development as well.” The Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County is a not for profit public/private partnership which focuses on non-retail job creation and retention activities in the Decatur Macon County area.