Laborshed Survey Shows Employees Career Change for Benefits

posted on Wednesday, September 4, 2019 in Economic Development

In a recent article from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier about the Cedar Valley Laborshed Survey, one-fourth of employees would be more likely to change careers if offered the right benefits (medical insurance, pension and retirement).

Results from the survey also showed that the Cedar Valley is drawing workers from an 80-mile radius for the right pay and benefits. The Iowa Workforce Development study confirms what economic developers already were seeing and hearing from employers and employees. 

“They want a career, but it isn’t just the job. They want benefits, including health care and retirement benefits, among others," said Cary Darrah, Grow Cedar Valley President & CEO. "It’s important for employers to offer those benefits to stay competitive with an increasingly mobile present-day workforce.

The survey was based on the results of some 1,400 returned surveys of adults age 18 to 64 in northeast and eastern Iowa. It also showed the largest employment sectors include manufacturing; health care and social services; wholesale and retail trade and education. Among the survey findings: 26.8% of more than 438,000 employed individuals within about an 80-mile radius of Waterloo-Cedar Falls are “likely to change their current employment situation for a new opportunity,” and are actively seeking employment, the report said. Those employees make between $15 and $20 an hour.