QC residents to be surveyed for new laborshed study

Researchers are studying the commuting patterns of the Quad Cities’ workforce to produce a new laborshed employment study that will aid in recruiting new development to the region.  The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) are partnering on the study, which will geographically define which area communities contribute to the region’s […]

Researchers are studying the commuting patterns of the Quad Cities’ workforce to produce a new laborshed employment study that will aid in recruiting new development to the region.  The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) are partnering on the study, which will geographically define which area communities contribute to the region’s workforce. The defined area is known as a laborshed and is based on workers’ commuting patterns.  “The purpose of this laborshed study is to measure the availability and characteristics of the Quad City area employees,” Bridget Weddle, an IWD labor market research economist, told the QCBJ in an email.  She said the study will update information that IWD gathered from the previous laborshed, conducted in 2021. Traditionally, she added, the state agency conducts laborshed studies every two years for a particular region.   “This data can be useful for business expansion or business startups to inform businesses where to recruit their desired workforce,” Ms. Weddle said. Jenelle Wolber, the chamber’s business and economic growth director, told the QCBJ that the laborshed data is used “to demonstrate to prospective businesses, site selectors, and existing businesses of the depth and breadth of our local workforce.”  “Local Quad Citizens know a mile equals a minute in driving time and many of us are used to commuting on average 16 miles to work one way,” she added.  According to Ms. Weddle, the process began with letters being sent to area employers with five or more employees requesting their workers’ home zip codes.  Once that information is received, she said a vendor will send letters to a random sample of residents of those communities and request them to take an online survey. The survey questions will cover topics such as: employment status, current and desired benefits, education level, type of occupation and others.  Residents should know that IWD will not be asking survey takers for any identifiable information such as their name, social security number or date of birth.  After the online survey, IWD will conduct telephone surveys in the area through a third-party vendor. The phone calls are expected to begin within the next week. The survey call will originate from Missouri and will have an incoming number with the 573 area code. The interviewer will ask the resident to participate in an anonymous survey. Telephone interviews and online surveys can be conducted in English and Spanish. According to Ms. Weddle, the first round of surveying has begun in the Quad Cities, and will survey residents living in both the Iowa and Illinois side.   Once the commuting pattern has been defined, she said a second round of residential surveying will be conducted based on the commuting patterns for each of the cities.   All survey answers collected will be combined and reported together. Individual answers are completely confidential, the chamber stressed.  Both IWD and the chamber urge those residents contacted to participate in the study regardless of their employment status. Input is highly valued, the chamber said.   "We encourage Quad Citizens to participate in the Laborshed Survey to help provide us accurate and up-to-date information on labor availability and occupational trends,” the chamber’s Ms. Wolber said.  She added: “The laborshed map is an excellent representation of our bi-state commuting patterns and density of labor in the region beyond our local metropolitan area. The laborshed study is an excellent resource showing the compounded value of having a shared labor force in a bi-state region.” Results of each analysis, including the 2021 Quad Cities laborshed study, are available to the public at https://www.iowalmi.gov/laborshed-studies.