Last Wednesday EDCUtah hosted a press conference for the Utah Foundation, where the organization announced the findings of its survey of 151 local employers.
Topics of the survey focused on what inhibits business growth in Utah, the best and worst of Utah’s labor pool, the availability of potential employees, how Utahns stack up against their out-of-state counterparts and what drives companies to relocate to or away from Utah.
Some of the key findings from the survey:
- 71 percent of respondents reported some level of difficulty finding enough skilled or qualified employees.
- 32 percent identified the shortage as the greatest factor impeding their growth.
- 30 percent identified it as the worst quality of Utah’s labor pool.
- 89 percent of employers with an out-of-state presence indicated that their Utah employees had about the same or better education than their out-of-state employees.
- 25 percent of respondents recognized Utah’s work ethic as the best quality of its labor force. 60 percent of the companies with an out-of-state presence said their Utah employees were more productive than their out-of-state counterparts.
- 10 percent of respondents had entered into or implemented a major expansion in Utah’s market in the past 15 years. All of them indicated that given what they know now, were they facing the same choice, they would still come to Utah.
- 92 percent of companies think Utah is on the right track.
The survey’s resultant press coverage seemed to zero in on idea that Utah doesn’t have enough labor, that the labor pool isn’t educated enough and that companies in expansion mode can’t find enough talent.
“A tight labor market is a natural consequence of Utah’s low unemployment rate, but in practicality Utah has one of the best, if not the best labor forces in the country,” says Edwards. “Our labor force is highly acclaimed. It’s one of Utah’s greatest assets. Are there challenges? Yes. Do we need more students graduating in STEM disciplines? Yes. Are we doing something about it? Absolutely.”
In fact, Utah business, government and education leaders are working together more than ever to strengthen the state’s pipeline of skilled workers. There are efforts like the educational pathways program that are helping move students from high school into aerospace jobs and helping them develop the required skill sets in a shorter amount of time. What’s more, Gov. Gary Herbert has made STEM education the primary focus of his education budget.
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