Editor’s Note: Expanding Economy’s Need for Skilled Labor
Q4 2014
PwC’s Q3 2014 Manufacturing Barometer projects company revenue growth of 5.6 percent over the next 12 months, although there are concerns about the impacts of legislative/regulatory and tax policies. According to Bobby Bono, PwC’s U.S. industrial manufacturing leader, …”management teams believe they are making the right decisions to grow, but remain leery of external factors beyond their control.”
The PwC report also indicates 52 percent of U.S. industrial manufacturers plan to add employees to their workforces over the upcoming year. More than 30 percent of those with such plans said the most sought-after workers are skilled laborers. This requirement was also on the minds of those who responded to the 2013 Area Development Corporate Survey: availability of skilled labor was their number-one concern in the location/expansion decision process. Interestingly, a lack of skilled labor is also cause for concern in the U.S. construction industry, where spending reached its highest level this summer since 2008. In this issue, we examine the availability of skilled labor factor and the next nine most important site selection criteria in more detail.
The second-most-important factor is highway accessibility — not surprising considering it is “the lifeblood of robust commerce,” according to National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons. The nation’s aging infrastructure is in dire need of upgrades, and Congress needs to focus on long-term spending plans, Timmons further notes. NAM outlines its recommendations in a report entitled “Catching Up — Greater Focus Needed to Achieve a More Competitive Infrastructure.”
-
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine
Geraldine Gambale has overseen the editorial operations at Area Development magazine for 27 years. Under her direction, the publication has provided valuable site selection and facility planning information to its corporate readers through insightful articles and advice from industry experts, as well as from those who work in the economic development field. Her meetings with high-level government and industry officials in the United States and abroad have provided a prospective of what’s behind companies’ location and expansion decisions. She is also responsible for conducting and analyzing the results of Area Development’s highly regarded Annual Corporate and Consultants surveys. Prior to joining Area Development, Ms. Gambale worked in the banking industry. She holds a BA in English from Queens College of the City University of New York.
-
Viewpoint
Editor's Note: Cautious Optimism for 2023
Corporate Exec Survey Results
19th Annual Consultants Survey: Clients Challenged by Tight Labor Market, Energy Availability
-
Corporate Exec Survey Results
37th Annual Corporate Survey: Economic Pressures Exerting Greatest Effect on Decision-Makers
-
Viewpoint
Editor's Note: No Signs of the War for Talent Cooling Off
-
Project Announcements
Austrian-Based Kronospan Expands Oxford, Alabama, Operations
05/30/2023
TiiCKER Expands Grand Rapids, Michigan, Operations
05/30/2023
Hanon Systems Establishes Bulloch County, Georgia, Operations
05/26/2023
GE Vernova Expands Schenectady, New York, Operations
05/26/2023
Southern Rock Energy Partners Plans Cushing, Oklahoma, Crude Oil Refinery
05/26/2023
ForwardEdge ASIC Establishes St. Paul, Minnesota, Operations
05/26/2023
Most Read
-
Is a Flurry of Fads Shaping Economic Development Policy?
Q2 2023
-
37th Annual Corporate Survey: Economic Pressures Exerting Greatest Effect on Decision-Makers
Q1 2023
-
Nearshoring — North America’s Next Factory
Q2 2023
-
First Person: Labor Crunch in the Construction Industry
Q2 2023
-
Front Line: Water Supply Increasingly Affecting Location Decisions
Q2 2023
-
19th Annual Consultants Survey: Clients Challenged by Tight Labor Market, Energy Availability
Q1 2023
-
Life Science Conversions in Real Estate
Q2 2023