Green River WIB Launches Major Workforce Study

The Green River Workforce Investment Board (WIB) has launched a comprehensive workforce study to collect data on local hiring trends, occupations in demand, industry growth, skill gaps and other information that will strengthen the efforts of economic development, education, and workforce development agencies to meet the workforce training needs of business and industry.

Beginning in August 2012, businesses throughout the GRADD region, with five or more employees, will receive a call and be asked to participate in a labor market survey lasting 7-10 minutes. Approximately 2,963 employers within the Green River region will be contacted over a three month period.

The survey is part of a statewide project involving nine Workforce Investment Areas (WIA) throughout Kentucky. This represents the largest employer outreach and workforce survey ever undertaken in the state. An estimated 36,132 employers throughout 112 counties will provide current and in-depth information that will serve as the foundation for workforce development and economic growth throughout the state.

The telephone surveys will be conducted by ERISS Corporation of San Diego, California (www.eriss.com), which specializes in job/labor market research and interactive web applications. ERISS has worked in the Kentucky region for many years and is an award-winning firm that has surveyed over 2 million employers nationally, including over 24,000 employers for a 2009 project in neighboring counties. ERISS has already begun contacting employers, with aggregated results being made available early next year on various interactive web applications. The information will be free to business, jobseekers, schools and others interested in our region. More information about the survey can be found at www.usworks.com/KWA-LMI.

The study is being sponsored by the Green River Area Development District’s (GRADD) Workforce Investment Board (WIB). GRADD sustains a program of economic, social, and human resource services in the seven counties in northwest Kentucky which consist of Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union, and Webster. For more information about GRADD, visit www.gradd.com.