HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report, 2003
THE RESEARCH VALLEY,
TEXAS REGION
WORKFORCE REPORT
August, 2003
Compiled and Produced by
THE PATHFINDERS
Dallas, Texas
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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THE PATHFINDERS i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................1
II. WORKFORCE REPORT............................................................................4
A. Available Workers ..............................................................................6
B. Cost of Underemployed Workers......................................................7
C. Education/Age/Gender/Commuting Distances ................................8
D. Experience and Skills..........................................................................9
III. EMPLOYERS’ VIEWS OF TOTAL WORKFORCE............................12
A. Basic Communications/Calculations Ability..................................13
B. Availability, Productivity, Attitudes................................................13
C. Comparisons with Other Areas.......................................................14
IV. NATIONAL COMPARATIVE OBSERVATIONS.................................17
A. Desired Wages ...................................................................................19
B. Experience..........................................................................................21
C. Skills....................................................................................................24
V. CLOSING REMARKS...............................................................................27
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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THE PATHFINDERS 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Pathfinders has employed its experience in workforce assessments for corporate site-
selection clients and assessments of the civilian workforce in locations where military
installations were scheduled for closure to produce this evaluation of the Research Valley region
workforce. The Pathfinders functions as a site-selection consultant to many of Americas largest
corporations. Senior human resources executives from among those clients assisted in refining
this methodology and report format. Companies making location decisions based upon these
surveys have reported that when staffing actually began, the numbers reported proved to be
accurate.
The information presented in this report has been developed independently of the client, and the
client has not influenced the findings. 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 Research Valley region.
The findings contained herein include the following observations:
! In addition to the unemployed in the Research Valley region, a new employer will be able to
attract employees from an additional pool of about 24,800 potentially available workers who
have indicated an interest in changing jobs.
! Those workers possess the skills, experience, and education to qualify them for the pay rates
at which they would take a new job, and that defines them as underemployed . For the
purposes of this report, the term “underemployed” is used herein when referring to
those potentially available workers.
! The pay rates they specify to take a new job are reasonable when compared to their existing
pay rates.
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THE PATHFINDERS 2
! About 25% of those workers would take a new job for $9.99 per hour or less. At the upper
end, the 25% most qualified and experienced will command more than $21.94 per hour.
! Roughly 6,300 people, neither employed nor seeking work, might re-enter the workforce for
the proper job.
To determine the boundaries of the region to be surveyed, The Pathfinders applied the same
reasoning that would be used during a site search for a corporate client considering the region as
a location to determine the locations from which workers might be drawn to a new employer.
The Research Valley survey region (Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson and
Washington Counties) has an estimated total civilian labor force of approximately 136,400
people. The survey region, referred to in this report as the labor shed, contains approximately
4,200 unemployed people who are seeking work.
While the unemployed may be considered a potentially good source of employees, the type of
quality employer that the labor shed is attempting to attract typically does not rely on the
unemployed to staff a new operation. As a consequence, The Pathfinders was retained to
quantify the extent to which UNDEREMPLOYMENT exists in the region, as well as to
document the cost, skills, experience, and education of that hidden workforce.
Published government statistics report wages and employment for the entire workforce of an
area, even though most of this workforce has no interest in changing jobs. The report prepared
by The Pathfinders, however, includes data only on those people in the area who might change
jobs and who would, therefore, be potential candidate workers for a new employer. As opposed
to average wages, this report quantifies the number of those workers available for an employer in
various wage ranges.
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THE PATHFINDERS 3
The results of this assessment determined that in addition to the 4,200 unemployed individuals in
the labor shed, approximately 24,800 workers could be defined as underemployed: those
individuals who would take a better job if offered by a new or existing employer and who
possess the skills, education, and experience to qualify them for a better job. Of these
underemployed workers in the labor shed, 7,300 would change jobs for $10.99 per hour or less,
and 50% of them would take a new job for $15.25 per hour or less.
Additionally, 36% of these underemployed workers have some college experience; 4% have
associate degrees; and, another 29% have earned four-year college degrees or higher. As these
data relate solely to those individuals in the labor shed who are underemployed, they will vary
from data representative of the population as a whole.
The reader, however, should consider that while the number of underemployed workers
identified in the region, as well as their skills, experience, education, and costs, is accurate, all of
those individuals would not be acceptable candidates for an employer. Their previous work
records, stability, integrity, intelligence, appearance, and other factors could not be considered in
the report.
Site searches to identify the optimum location for new facilities have been conducted by The
Pathfinders for such clients as AT&T, DuPont, Celanese, 3M Corporation, IMC Global, AIG,
Ciba-Geigy, and others of a similar stature. The availability of workers is a critical factor in
selecting a location for a new operation, and a workforce analysis has been a key component of
the site searches conducted for these corporate clients.
The Pathfinders has applied its site-search experience to this assessment of the workforce in the
Research Valley region. In instances where similar workforce surveys have been conducted for
corporate clients in site-selection projects, the accuracy of the findings has been repeatedly
verified as those clients located and began staffing new operations.
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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THE PATHFINDERS 4
WORKFORCE REPORT
In this workforce assessment, The Pathfinders conducted telephone interviews with individuals
throughout the labor shed. Those individuals were stratified across age (19 - 54 years), gender,
household income (up to $100,000), local telephone exchanges, and zip codes. The purpose of
these interviews was to ascertain availability for work with a new employer; to determine
desired pay rates; and, to collect information on age, education, commuting patterns, experience,
and skills. Sufficient surveys were completed with individuals to produce results for that entire
population group which vary by no more than plus or minus 5 percentage points. At that level of
variance, the 24,800 people identified as underemployed might actually be as many as 26,040
(plus 5%) or as few as 23,560 (minus 5%). If the survey were repeated 100 times, 95 times out
of 100 the results would be the same as those resulting from a survey of the entire population.
The Pathfinders also applied a proprietary process to the analysis of the data to correct for
invalid responses. This process considers that to be counted as underemployed, an individual
must be currently employed and willing to take another job at a pay rate commensurate with
personal skills, education, and experience. Moreover, persons with fifteen or more years with
their present employers are not considered to be true candidates for new jobs for the purposes of
this study. Those indicating that they would take a new job but also indicating the desire for
increased pay that is unreasonable are also not counted in the results. Similarly, an individual
who may be truly underemployed but is within a very few years of qualifying for retirement
benefits with an existing employer may state a willingness to change jobs but is not considered
likely to do so and is, therefore, not included in these results.
Current pay alone is not the qualifying factor for underemployment status in this study.
Individuals, for example, making $6.50 per hour, possessing no high school degree or skills, and
being in the workforce for less than one year may consider themselves to be underemployed but
are not considered to be so in this report. On the other hand, education, skills, and experience
may qualify the person making $22.00 per hour as truly underemployed.
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THE PATHFINDERS 5
As a corporate site-selection consultant, The Pathfinders recognizes that the question which most
often drives the search for a new business location is whether the candidate location has the
workforce needed. In a poll of its corporate clients, The Pathfinders found that those clients
experiences suggest that less than 10% of the new hires for new operations come from the ranks
of the unemployed. Instead, these clients staff a new operation principally with
UNDEREMPLOYED people.
The primary source of good employees for employers moving into an area is the category of the
underemployed: those individuals who are now working but desire better jobs and who possess
the skills, education, and experience to qualify them for those better jobs. In the Research
Valley region, approximately 24,800 people can be categorized as underemployed. Reported
findings about this group of underemployed workers include:
# About 10% of these individuals would change jobs for under $7.87 per hour;
# 33⅓% would change jobs for less than $12.24 per hour; and,
# 50% would change for $15.25 or less
Again, the reader is cautioned that, while the number of underemployed workers identified in the
region, as well as their skills, experience, education, and costs, is accurate, all of those
individuals may not be acceptable candidates for an employer. Their previous work records,
stability, integrity, intelligence, appearance, and other factors are not considered in this report.
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THE PATHFINDERS 6
AVAILABLE WORKERS
The Research Valley Region Labor Shed
Number of underemployed workers
24,800
Number of unemployed persons who are seeking work
4,200
Number of persons who are not working, but are
contemplating re-entering the workforce
6,300
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Total Number of Workers Available for Employers
35,300
These underemployed workers might also be termed upgraders. They desire to move into an
upgraded job and appear to possess the skills, education, and experience to enable them to do so.
The pay rates they expect to achieve range from under $7.00 to over $25.00 per hour.
The following data represent the desired pay rates of the underemployed individuals in the labor
shed. Many workers expressed their wage requirements in weekly, monthly, or annual terms,
but all figures in this report are presented in hourly rates. Selected conversions may add
perspective to the hourly rates.
CONVERSION CHART
Hourly Weekly Monthly Annually
$ 8.00 $ 320.00 $ 1,386.00 $ 16,640.00
$ 10.00 $ 400.00 $ 1,733.00 $ 20,800.00
$ 15.00 $ 600.00 $ 2,600.00 $ 31,200.00
$ 20.00 $ 800.00 $ 3,466.00 $ 41,600.00
$ 25.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 4,500.00 $ 52,000.00
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THE PATHFINDERS 7
DESIRED WAGE RATES (per hour)
The Research Valley Region Labor Shed
24,800 Underemployed Workers
NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS AVAILABLE (rounded)
AT SPECIFIC HOURLY PAY RATES
The Research Valley Region Labor Shed
24,800 Underemployed Workers
$ 6.99 or Less $ 7.00 - $ 7.99 $ 8.00 - $ 8.99 $ 9.00 - $ 9.99
1,000 1,700 1,900 900
$ 10.00 - $ 10.99 $ 11.00 - $ 11.99 $ 12.00 - $ 12.99 $ 13.00 - $ 13.99
1,800 500 1,600 1,400
$ 14.00 - $ 14.99 $ 15.00 - $ 15.99 $ 16.00 - $ 16.99 $ 17.00 - $ 17.99
1,000 2,400 900 1,100
$ 18.00 - $ 18.99 $ 19.00 - $ 19.99 $ 20.00 - $ 24.99 $ 25.00 or More
500 1,000 2,100 5,000
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000
$8.99 or Less
$9.00 - $12.99
$13.00 - $17.99
$18.00 or More
Number of Workers
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THE PATHFINDERS 8
AGE
31 - 40 yrs.
35%
51+ yrs.
7%
18 - 30 yrs.
35%41 - 50 yrs.
23%
COMMUTING DISTANCES
21 - 30 Miles
15%
31 - 40 Miles
4%
Over 40 Miles
7%
11 - 20 Miles
19%
0 - 10 Miles
55%
EDUCATION
High School
Graduate
27%
Some College
36%
Graduate
Degree
11%
Associate
Degree
4%
Less than High
School
4%
College Degree
18%
GENDER
Female
55%
Male
45%
CHARACTERISTICS OF UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region Labor Shed
The following charts provide information on the characteristics of the underemployed workers in
the labor shed.
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THE PATHFINDERS 9
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
The experience and skills categories used in this report are designed to provide accurate
workforce data for employers which fall into one or more of the following four broad groups:
! manufacturing, assembly, fabrication or other industrial operations;
! office, data processing, call centers, or other operations which might be white collar in
nature;
! distribution or transportation operations; and,
! operations related to sales or customer service and other public interface.
The experience and skills categories are purposefully similar in order to present the most
accurate worker availability for operations in one of those four groups.
An employee in the front office of a manufacturing operation will be considered to have
manufacturing experience but may only have office skills. Someone with industrial
experience may not have industrial machines skills, but could have materials handling
skills if they work in shipping or receiving. Sales and customer service experience cross
many other experience and skills categories and ideally would be possessed by anyone with
customer contact to any degree.
The similarities between the skills and experience categories are designed to ensure
inclusiveness considering the multitude of tasks and job titles present in most business,
government and institutional operations. Additionally, what may appear to some observers as
redundancy is, in reality, a proven mechanism to cross-check the validity of responses and to
identify the degree to which workplace and professional competencies are truly transferable to
new positions and employers.
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THE PATHFINDERS 10
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE OF UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region Labor Shed
Experience* Number of Persons Percentage
Office/Data/Word Processing 15,400 62%
Warehouse/Distribution/Transportation 9,900 40%
Manufacturing/Assembly 7,700 31%
Industrial Operations 6,700 27%
Call Center 5,200 21%
Government/Education 10,700 43%
Sales 12,900 52%
Customer Service 17,900 72%
EMPLOYMENT SKILLS OF UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region Labor Shed
Skills* Number of Persons Percentage
Office/Data/Word Processing 16,400 66%
Warehouse/Materials Handling 10,200 41%
Manufacturing/Assembly/Fabrication 9,900 40%
Machining/Welding/Other Industrial Machines 7,200 29%
Telecommunications 8,400 34%
Technician/Quality Assurance 9,700 39%
Maintenance 10,400 42%
Electronics/Engineering 5,500 22%
* Individuals polled may have experience and/or skills in more than one job classification.
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THE PATHFINDERS 11
While unemployment rates indicate the presence of approximately 4,200 unemployed persons in
the labor shed, the results of this workforce assessment suggest that an additional 6,300 people,
who are not currently employed or actively seeking work, would re-enter the workforce and take
a good job if offered. Approximately 66% of these additional individuals are female, and the
group is over one-half year younger on average than the underemployed.
The education of this additional group roughly mirrors that of the underemployed members of
the workforce, albeit with a somewhat higher concentration of Associate Degree. This group
exhibits competitive measures of experience and skills in the following areas:
# sales
# call center
# electronics/engineering
The pay rates required by this group to re-enter the workforce appear to be in a range between
$7.00 and $25.00 per hour. The lower quartile would take $9.09 or less, and the upper quartile
desires $15.88 per hour or more.
The determinations for this segment of the workforce have a larger statistical variance than that
for the underemployed.
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THE PATHFINDERS 12
EMPLOYERS’ VIEWS OF THE
RESEARCH VALLEY REGION TOTAL WORKFORCE
In developing a profile of existing workers in the Research Valley region, The Pathfinders
considered such factors as labor availability, productivity, unionization, attitudes, costs, and
education. The analysis was based upon interviews conducted with senior management and
human resources professionals from companies located in the labor shed. Each of these
companies operated in the industrial, commercial, or service sectors. The interview sampling
was sufficiently large to make valid workforce judgments. Employers interviewed were asked to
provide subjective views of their workers, in addition to objective and quantitative
measurements of labor productivity, availability, attitudes, and costs. Employers with operations
in other regions of the United States were asked to compare their experiences in those other
regions with their experiences in the Research Valley region.
The Research Valley region workforce received good marks for productivity. Many of the
companies interviewed stated that their local operations compared favorably with operations in
other locations in terms of profitability and production, indicative not only of good management
but also of a productive workforce. Based upon the experience of The Pathfinders in evaluating
labor forces in numerous locations, a definite correlation between productivity, absentee rates,
tardiness rates, and turnover appears to exist. That correlation goes beyond the fact that an
absent worker is obviously unproductive. Rather, those factors are indicative of an employees
attitude toward the job. The companies interviewed in the Research Valley region judged
absenteeism to be low to moderate. Most of the companies reported turnover to be low. Most
stated that substance abuse incidence is very low.
One of the most common employer complaints throughout the nation relates to the basic
educational competencies of the workforce. Following are the ratings that employers in the
labor shed give employees relative to the basic educational competencies of reading, writing, and
calculations.
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THE PATHFINDERS 13
PERCENT OF EMPLOYERS RATING
THE RESEARCH VALLEY REGION TOTAL WORKFORCE
Category Excellent Good Fair Poor
Reading/Writing Competency 7% 60% 33% 0%
Calculations Competency 7% 53% 40% 0%
Another common employer complaint relates to the shortage of skilled and technical workers.
The availability of these workers in the Research Valley region must be viewed from the
perspective of comparative availability when other areas of the state and nation are considered.
Skilled and technical workers are in great demand and difficult to find in the vast majority of
locations. Of the companies in the labor shed interviewed, 40% considered skilled worker
availability to be Excellent or Good, while 53% considered it to be Fair. The availability
of technical workers in the labor shed was rated Excellent or Good by 60% of the
interviewed companies and Fair by 33%.
The following table provides a composite portrait of employers experiences with and opinions
of workers in the Research Valley region. Taken in context with the data gathered and presented
in the workforce survey, a balanced profile of the attributes of individuals available to fill the
labor needs of new and expanding firms is provided.
Category Excellent Good Fair Poor
Availability of Skilled Workers 20% 20% 53% 7%
Availability of Unskilled Workers 13% 60% 20% 7%
Availability of Technical Workers 33% 27% 33% 7%
Availability of Professional Workers 33% 27% 40% 0%
Worker Productivity 33% 60% 7% 0%
Worker Reliability and Attitudes 13% 80% 7% 0%
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THE PATHFINDERS 14
COMPARISONS OF EMPLOYERS RATINGS
TOTAL WORKFORCE
The Research Valley Region Labor Shed /
Locations Previously Surveyed
In the course of workforce surveys, local employers are asked to rate their workers on a number
of factors. Those factors include: worker productivity; worker reliability and attitudes;
reading/writing competency; calculations competency; availability of skilled workers;
availability of unskilled workers; availability of technical workers; and, availability of
professional workers. Local employers are asked to rate each factor either Excellent, Good,
Fair, or Poor.
The purpose of these interviews and ratings is not only to determine how local employers rate
their workers, but also to provide a means for comparing local ratings to those of all locations
surveyed during the past eighteen months. Such comparison will enable you to assess your
employers ratings of their workers in contrast to the body of thousands of employer ratings
recorded in that period.
The following charts present the comparative results for each factor. They compare the
percentages of the Research Valley region employers who rated their workers Excellent,
Good, Fair, or Poor on each factor with the Highest rating of that factor in all areas
surveyed in the last eighteen months and the Median rating for that factor in all areas surveyed
during that time. As a result, the Highest and Median ratings do not add to 100%.
For example, 33% of the Research Valley region employers rated Worker Productivity as
Excellent. Of all the locations surveyed during the last eighteen months, the Median for that
rating is 19%, and the Highest rating recorded in the Excellent category is 57%. The same
comparison applies for each of the other factors.
In these charts, the Research Valley region is shown as Labor Shed.
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WORKER PRODUCTIVITY
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 57% Highest 86% Highest 46% Highest 13%
Labor Shed 33% Labor Shed 60% Labor Shed 7% Labor Shed 0%
Median 19% Median 59% Median 19% Median 5%
WORKER RELIABILITY AND ATTITUDES
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 54% Highest 83% Highest 43% Highest 17%
Labor Shed 13% Labor Shed 80% Labor Shed 7% Labor Shed 0%
Median 18% Median 55% Median 23% Median 6%
READING/WRITING COMPETENCY
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 40% Highest 81% Highest 70% Highest 31%
Labor Shed 7% Labor Shed 60% Labor Shed 33% Labor Shed 0%
Median 9% Median 54% Median 32% Median 8%
CALCULATIONS COMPETENCY
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 50% Highest 75% Highest 68% Highest 30%
Labor Shed 7% Labor Shed 53% Labor Shed 40% Labor Shed 0%
Median 8% Median 45% Median 40% Median 13%
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AVAILABILITY OF SKILLED WORKERS
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 26% Highest 70% Highest 63% Highest 37%
Labor Shed 20% Labor Shed 20% Labor Shed 53% Labor Shed 7%
Median 7% Median 42% Median 36% Median 21%
AVAILABILITY OF UNSKILLED WORKERS
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 58% Highest 85% Highest 55% Highest 21%
Labor Shed 13% Labor Shed 60% Labor Shed 20% Labor Shed 7%
Median 22% Median 50% Median 21% Median 8%
AVAILABILITY OF TECHNICAL WORKERS
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 36% Highest 79% Highest 78% Highest 58%
Labor Shed 33% Labor Shed 27% Labor Shed 33% Labor Shed 7%
Median 7% Median 28% Median 48% Median 22%
AVAILABILITY OF PROFESSIONAL WORKERS
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Highest 31% Highest 75% Highest 69% Highest 46%
Labor Shed 33% Labor Shed 27% Labor Shed 40% Labor Shed 0%
Median 7% Median 37% Median 36% Median 23%
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NATIONAL COMPARATIVE OBSERVATIONS
As a matter of course in site-selection projects, The Pathfinders evaluates published government
workforce statistics. Those statistics, however, depict the entire workforce while only a minority
segment of those workers will be considered for or have an interest in new jobs with a company.
The characteristics of the select, underemployed workforce group represented in this report may
vary significantly from the workforce as a whole as reported in published government data.
Accordingly, the information presented in the workforce report for the Research Valley region
covers those members of the workforce who are, by virtue of their underemployment, potential
candidates for new jobs. Existing employers, or new employers recruited to the Research Valley
region, typically will not depend heavily on the unemployed to staff a new operation or to fill
vacancies in existing operations caused by turnover or expansions. Companies look to the ranks
of people who are already employed but are seeking to better themselves. Those individuals in
that category who possess the education, skills, and experience to merit a better job are classified
as UNDEREMPLOYED.
The workforce report issued by The Pathfinders documents the availability of underemployed
workers as well as the skills, experience, education, and costs of individuals in that hidden
workforce in the Research Valley region. This section of the report provides a comparison of the
characteristics of the labor sheds underemployed workforce with the underemployed
workforces in other communities previously surveyed throughout the nation. A prospect
company considering the Research Valley region as a location will judge its workforce on a
comparative basis. This section of the report will allow local economic development
professionals to view the regions workforce in relation to others across the country.
The comparative data for other locations used in the following charts and tables reflect
information accumulated over the past eighteen months. The Pathfinders maintains a continuing
database of over 600 surveyed counties and communities and more than 30 million surveyed
workers.
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Locations Used In Comparative Analysis
In the various charts which follow this page, this labor shed is compared with others for the
purpose of making the data meaningful. In the charts, figures for this labor shed are shown
alongside the lowest, median and highest figures from other workforce surveys conducted
by The Pathfinders. The comparisons are with communities and counties representing both
larger and smaller and those similar in size to this labor shed. They are also scattered throughout
the nation, and a partial listing of locations from which the low, median and high data
reported are derived includes:
Albany, NY Culpeper Co., VA Lees Summit, MO Richmond, KY
Amarillo, TX Dallas, TX Lexington, KY Rutherford Co., TN
Anderson, IN Danville, IL Long Island, NY Salisbury, MD
Ardmore, OK Daytona Beach, FL Louisville, KY San Angelo, TX
Atascadero, CA Decatur, AL Kokomo, IN San Marcos, TX
Atlanta, GA Evansville, IN Eastern Shore, MD Scranton, PA
Auburn, AL Fauquier Co., VA Marion County, KY Seguin, TX
Baldwin Co., AL Frankfort, KY Moberly, MO Seneca Co., NY
Bay Co., FL Gillette, WY Mobile, AL Shasta Co., CA
Bedford, TX Grays Harbor, WA Mohawk Valley, NY Shelby Co., AL
Bentonville, AR Greene Co., NY Montgomery, AL Shoals, AL
Binghamton, NY Haskell, TX Monroe, LA Shreveport, LA
Birmingham, AL Hazleton, PA Morehouse Parish, LA Sikeston, MO
Bowie, TX Henderson, KY Muncie, IN Spokane, WA
Bryan, TX Hendricks, IN New Braunfels, TX Springfield, IL
Buffalo, NY Hernando Co., FL New York City, NY Syracuse, NY
Bullitt Co., KY Hudson Valley, NY Nicholasville, KY Tallahassee, FL
Cambridge, MD Huntsville, AL Ontario Co., NY Talledega, AL
Campbellsville, KY Hurst, TX Paducah, KY Terre Haute, IN
Cape Girardeau, MO Indianapolis, IN Pampa, TX Tioga Co., NY
Chattanooga, TN Independence, MO Panama City, FL Tipton Co., IN
Cheyenne, WY Jackson Co., MO Pensacola, FL Tuscaloosa, AL
College Station, TX Lake Havasu, AZ Prescott Valley, AZ Tucson, AZ
Conroe, TX LaSalle, IL Reno, NV Vermillion Co., IN
Corpus Christi, TX Lea Co., NM Richland Parish, LA Warren Co., NY
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THE PATHFINDERS 19
The workforce report documented the number of underemployed workers in the labor shed who
would be available for an employer at various pay rates ranging from $7.00 per hour or below to
$25.00 per hour or above and who have the skills, experience, and education to justify the
desired pay rates. The table below shows that 25% (lower quartile) of the underemployed
workers in the labor shed merit and would take a new job for $9.99 per hour or less. In locations
surveyed over the past eighteen months, the lowest desired pay rate in the lower quartile of
underemployed workers was $8.30 per hour or less, the median $10.18 or less, and the highest
desired pay rate was $12.61 per hour or less.
DESIRED WAGES (per hour) – LOWER QUARTILE
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
Desired Wage
Labor Shed
Lowest
Desired Wage
Locations Surveyed
Past 18 Months
Median
Desired Wage
Locations Surveyed
Past 18 Months
Highest
Desired Wage
Locations Surveyed
Past 18 Months
$9.99 or Less $8.30 or Less $10.18 or Less $12.61 or Less
Those underemployed workers in the upper quartile have more education, better skills, and
greater experience. Yet based on current pay rates, they are considered to be underemployed. In
the labor shed, the underemployed individuals in the upper 25% can command $21.94 per hour
or more. In locations surveyed over the past eighteen months, the lowest desired pay rate in the
upper quartile of underemployed workers was $15.06 or more, the median $18.72 or more, and
the highest was $23.90 per hour or more.
DESIRED WAGES (per hour) – UPPER QUARTILE
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
Desired Wage
Labor Shed
Lowest
Desired Wage
Locations Surveyed
Past 18 Months
Median
Desired Wage
Locations Surveyed
Past 18 Months
Highest
Desired Wage
Locations Surveyed
Past 18 Months
$21.94 or More $15.06 or More $18.72 or More $23.90 or More
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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THE PATHFINDERS 20
The following series of charts compares the percentages of underemployed workers in the
Research Valley region who have experience in various fields of employment with the
percentages of underemployed workers in locations surveyed over the past eighteen months who
have the same type of experience. In the charts, the Research Valley region is referred to as
labor shed.
The experience charts are followed by skills charts, which compare the percentages of
underemployed workers in the Research Valley region who possess various types of
employment skills with the percentages of underemployed workers in locations surveyed over
the past eighteen months who possess the same skills. In the charts, the Research Valley region
is referred to as labor shed.
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
______________________________________________________________________________________________
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THE PATHFINDERS 21
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
COMPARISON OF EXPERIENCE
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region /
Locations Surveyed Over the Past 18 Months
OFFICE / DATA / WORD PROCESSING WAREHOUSE / DISTRIBUTION /
TRANSPORTATION
MANUFACTURING / ASSEMBLY
INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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______________________________________________________________________________________________
THE PATHFINDERS 22
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
COMPARISON OF EXPERIENCE
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region /
Locations Surveyed Over the Past 18 Months
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
SALES CUSTOMER SERVICE
CALL CENTER GOVERNMENT / EDUCATION
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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THE PATHFINDERS 23
SUMMARY COMPARISON OF EXPERIENCE
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region /
Locations Surveyed Over the Past 18 Months
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Office/ Data/
Word
Processing
Warehouse/
Distribution/
Transportation
Manufacturing/
Assembly
Industrial
Operations
Call Center Government/
Education
Sales Customer
Service
Labor Shed Lowest Median Highest
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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______________________________________________________________________________________________
THE PATHFINDERS 24
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
COMPARISON OF SKILLS
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region /
Locations Surveyed Over the Past 18 Months
OFFICE / DATA / WORD PROCESSING WAREHOUSE / MATERIALS
HANDLING
MANUFACTURING / ASSEMBLY /
FABRICATION
MACHINING / WELDING /
OTHER INDUSTRIAL MACHINES
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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______________________________________________________________________________________________
THE PATHFINDERS 25
0
10
20
30
40
50
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
0
10
20
30
40
50
Lowest Median Highest
Labor Shed Other Locations
COMPARISON OF SKILLS
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region /
Locations Surveyed Over the Past 18 Months
TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNICIAN / QUALITY
ASSURANCE
MAINTENANCE ELECTRONICS / ENGINEERING
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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THE PATHFINDERS 26
SUMMARY COMPARISON OF SKILLS
UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS
The Research Valley Region /
Locations Surveyed Over the Past 18 Months
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Office/ Data/
Word
Processing
Warehouse/
Materials
Handling
Manufacturing/
Assembly/
Fabrication
Machining/
Welding/
Other
Industrial
Machines
Telecom-
munications
Technician/
Quality
Assurance
Maintenance Electronics/
Engineering
Labor Shed Lowest Median Highest
The Research Valley, Texas Region Workforce Report August, 2003
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THE PATHFINDERS 27
CLOSING REMARKS
The foregoing report represents an assessment of the underemployment that exists in the
Research Valley region. It includes a set of important interlocking measurements of the number
of underemployed workers, their cost, skills, experience, education, reliability, productivity, and
other related factors. The information allows the economic development professional and the
site-selection team to view the area in comparison to other locations.
Attention should be given to the Employers Views of the Research Valley Region Total
Workforce section of this report in which local employers views of the characteristics of local
workers are compared with employers views in other locations where the identical questions
have been asked in identical fashion.
Similarly, attention should be given to the final section of this report, National Comparative
Observations, which compares, employing an identical methodology, the costs, experience, and
skills of local underemployed workers with those underemployed workers in locations surveyed
by The Pathfinders over the past eighteen months.
While the number of underemployed workers in the Research Valley region, including their cost,
skills, and experience, is the focus of this report, the data should be interpreted in a comparative
perspective just as the corporate site selector will in deciding among competing locations.
For Informational Purposes:
The Research Valley Region Civilian Workforce........................................................... 136,400
Largest Workforce Surveyed by The Pathfinders.......................................................3,452,000
Median Workforce Surveyed by The Pathfinders..........................................................132,300
Smallest Workforce Surveyed by The Pathfinders............................................................. 3,350
Number of Locations Surveyed by The Pathfinders.............................................................. 276
THE PATHFINDERS
P.O. Box 702317
Dallas, Texas 75370
Telephone: 972-418-7588
Fax: 972-418-1588
E-Mail: info@thepathfindersus.com
Web site: www.thepathfindersus.com