2015 WORKFORCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT - nola.shrm.org Workforce... · A Workforce Needs Assessment survey...

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www.RegionOneWorks.net


Executive Summary

A Workforce Needs Assessment survey of the members of the NOLA-SHRM was conductedfrom June 18, 2015 to July 17, 2015. Surveys were sent electronically to 376 members and 95responses were received in total, for a response rate of 25.2%.

The questions asked of respondents included topics of anticipated workforce expansion,vacancies by occupations, quality and characteristics of applicants,recruitment, hiring, turnover and succession planning. There are somestand-outs in the analysis of some topics, including growth andexpansion, turnovers, succession planning, and knowledge of resources.

Just over 43% of respondents are anticipating growth, with only 9.5%anticipating a downsizing in the foreseeable future. This tendencytowards growth is also reflected in the current vacancies, whereby, only 5 respondentsindicated no current vacancies, while 18 respondents indicated current vacancies of more than20 vacancies in at least one position.

Turnover is not always a “bad” thing for businesses, however, there are certain types ofturnover that can and should be addressed whenever possible, including the loss of high

performers in what is called dysfunctional voluntary turnover andinvoluntary turnover of low performers. These two categories werereported as occurring often in 38% of their organizations.

1/3rd of respondents have more than 10% of their current workforcethat are or soon will be in a position to retire within the next fiveyears. However, only 21 respondents have a succession plan in

place. It was encouraging to see that 93% of respondents have identified potential near-futureretirees.

There is broad knowledge (75%) of the most basic business resource of the no-cost online jobposting available from the Louisiana Workforce Commission, but there are significantopportunities for businesses to learn more about the other services and resources tobusinesses, including On-the-Job Training (OJT), customized recruitment, and the WorkOpportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).

A special thanks to the NOLA-SHRM Executive Committee for supporting these efforts tofurther analyze the current state of some of the most pressing workforce development issues ofits members. For additional information or questions about the assessment, please contactJennifer B. Barnett at [email protected] and visit www.RegionOneWorks.net.


Executive Summary











Executive Summary











Q1. Respondents by Industry

Respondents represented 20 of 24 industries. The largest percentage of respondents camefrom Finance and Insurance, Other Services (except Public Administration),Professional/Technical, and Healthcare, combined, represents 47% of the total respondents.

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Finance and InsuranceOther Services (except Public Administration)

Professional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesHealth Care

Government (includes Public Education)Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

Construction (Non-residential)Food Services

Transportation and WarehousingManufacturing

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas ExtractionUtilities

Real Estate and Rental and LeasingAccommodation

Educational Services (Private)Information

Management of Companies and EnterprisesRetail Trade

Social AssistanceWholesale Trade

Administrative and Support and Waste…Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

Construction (Residential)

0 5 10 15

Respondents by Industry


Q2. Organizational plans for Expansion or Contraction

43.2% of businesses are anticipating expansion in the near future as opposed to only 9.5%anticipating a possible downsizing, while 49.5% of respondents indicated they will remainrelatively the same size. Expansion was most reported in the Finance and Insurance (10),Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (7) and Other Services, excluding PublicAdministration (6) industries. Contraction is expected to be seen in 7.3% to 9.5% oforganizations, including two in Manufacturing and one in Oil & Gas, that responded as eitherdownsizing or both downsizing and/or remaining stable.

What are your organization's plans for future workforce expansion?

Answer Options ResponsePercent

ResponseCount

Expanding 43.2% 41Remaining the same/stable 49.5% 47Downsizing 9.5% 9Comments 2

answered question 95skipped question 0

Comments:

Number Comments1 State Government...unpredictable2 Just completed an expansion with five year recruiting initiative to staff-up

43.2%49.5%

9.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

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Expanding Remaining thesame/stable

Downsizing

What are your organization's plans for future workforceexpansion?


Q3. Estimated number of current vacancies by occupation groups:

The response rate for this question was 89% with 85 respondents answering the question.Currently only 5 respondents have zero vacancies. Conversely, there are at a minimum, 1,178to 1,601 current vacancies among the 85 respondents. The potential for vacancies beyond thecited range exists due to 18 respondents indicating more than 20 vacancies each.

Estimated number of current vacancies in the following occupation groups:

Answer Options 1 2-3 4-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20+ ResponseCount

Architecture & Engineering 4 8 4 1 0 0 0 17Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports& Related 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 4

Building & Grounds Cleaning &Maintenance 4 3 4 4 2 0 1 18

Business & Financial Operations 12 10 2 3 0 0 2 29Community & Social Science 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 7Computer & Mathematical Science 5 6 3 1 0 0 0 15Construction & Extraction 1 3 4 3 0 0 1 12Education, Training & Library 1 4 1 1 0 1 0 8Farming, Fishing & Forestry 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2Food Preparation & Serving Related 4 7 4 5 2 0 1 23Healthcare Practitioner & Technical 0 1 0 1 0 1 7 10Healthcare Support 1 3 0 2 1 1 4 12Installation, Maintenance & Repair 2 4 3 1 1 0 1 12Legal 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 12Life, Physical & Social Science 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2Management 7 13 3 3 0 0 0 26Office & Administrative Support 13 14 4 6 1 0 1 39Personal Care & Service 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3Production 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 6Protective Service 1 5 2 0 0 0 0 8Sales & Related 6 3 2 3 0 0 0 14Transportation & Material Moving 2 5 4 2 1 0 0 14Other (please specify) 14


Number Other (please specify)

1 Recruiting2 Industrial/warehouse3 Claims Adjusters -- 184 Engineering5 on average we have 30 positions open weekly6 Animal Care7 Outplacement Services - 1 opening8 Engineers


Q4. Please indicate the reason(s) for the vacancies:

The most cited reason for current vacancies as a primary or major contributing factor is forreplacing workers whom have left, not due to retirement, with more than 50 responses.Followed by long-term business growth and/or expansion with 33 indicating it as a primary ormajor contributing factor in current vacancies. Only 12 respondents cited a retiring workforceas a primary or major contributing factor, but an additional 18 did indicate that it was asomewhat or minor factor.

Please indicate the reason(s) for the vacancies:

Answer Options Primaryreason

Majorcontributing

factor

Somewhat/minora contributing

factor

Not a Factorat all

ResponseCount

Long-term Business Growth or Expansion 23 10 11 11 55Seasonal or Temporary Growth orExpansion 3 5 6 25 39

Replacing Retiring Workers 4 8 18 17 47Replacing workers who have left (not dueto retirement) 38 12 13 8 71

Comments 2answered question 87

skipped question 8

Comments Categories1 No vacancy.2 No vacancies

01020304050607080

Long-termBusiness Growth

or Expansion

Seasonal orTemporary Growth

or Expansion

Replacing RetiringWorkers

Replacing workerswho have left (notdue to retirement)

Please indicate the reason(s) for the vacancies:

Primary reason

Major contributingfactor

Somewhat/minora contributingfactor

Not a Factor at all


Q5. Tell us about the applicants for positions you seek to fill:

There was a 93% response rate for this question. The table and graph below displays thevariance between employers in their assessment of the applicants with no significant standouts. However, comments indicate challenges in finding higher/specialty skilled workers andchallenges in finding lower skilled workers that have soft skills and the ability to pass pre-hirescreenings.

Answer OptionsAgree toStronglyAgree

NeutralDisagree to

StronglyDisagree

ResponseCount

We receive too few applicants to consider formost positions 25 13 45 83

We receive too many applicants to consider formost positions 29 23 33 85

In general, most applicants present themselvesproperly during an interview 48 23 17 88

In general, applicants fulfill all necessaryrequirements for the job. 32 21 33 86

In general, applicants possess the basic skillsrequired for the job. 50 22 14 86

In general, applicants possess the soft skillsrequired for the job. 38 24 23 85

In general, applicants possess the occupationalskills required for the job. 41 31 13 85

There is often a problem filling this positionbecause applicants are disqualified due tocontrolled substance testing.

20 14 53 87

There is often a problem filling this positionbecause applicants are disqualified for failure topass a background check.

20 13 51 84

Other (please specify) 6answered question 89

skippedquestion 6

Number Other (please specify)

1

For base level staff in food service and housekeeping areas we receive a large number ofapplications but most do not have the soft skills and often do not pass the drug screen or thebackground check process. For the skilled positions, we often do not have enough applicationsfor professional positions.

2 We recruit for a living so applicants are not an issue for us. We can always find recruiting talentif we need it.

3 There is often a problem filling these positions as we offer a specialized service and theapplicant must already be licensed and/or trained on specific makes/models of equipment.

4 We get a lot of applications for lower-skilled jobs but struggle tremendously to find highly skilledindividuals in this market.

5 cannot pass the physical fitness test6 No vacancies


Q5. Tell us about the applicants for positions you seek to fill cont…

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In general, most applicants present themselvesproperly during an interview

In general, applicants fulfill all necessaryrequirements for the job.In general, applicants possess the basic skills

required for the job.In general, applicants possess the soft skills required

for the job.In general, applicants possess the occupational skills

required for the job.There is often a problem filling this position because

applicants are disqualified due to controlledsubstance testing.

There is often a problem filling this position becauseapplicants are disqualified for failure to pass a

background check.

Assessment of Applicants

Disagree to Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree to Strongly Agree


Q6. Which method(s) does your organization use in recruiting for positions:

The most common forms of recruitment strategies among the 94 respondents include acombination of networking/word-of-mouth (70%) and corporate website (73%) with use alwaysto most of the time. Online recruitment whether it’s social media or free/paid website,dominates in the recruitment arena. However, there is hesitance to utilize social media incomparison to all other no cost online formats.

There appears to be a strong correlation between recruitment methods most utilized and costassociated with that method. Not surprising, the most underutilized recruitment method isTelevision/Radio, Newspaper. However, it should be noted that while 79% of respondentsutilize the no cost online public workforce development system (LAWORKS.net/Louisianaworks.net), only 21% utilize the no cost recruitment services of the Business & CareerSolutions Centers of the same system.

Which method(s) does your organization use in recruiting for permanent positions:

Answer Options Always Most ofthe time

Some ofthe time

Not likelyto try

Nevertried*

ResponseCount

Networking/Word of Mouth 44 22 21 2 5 89

Online - Social Media (Facebook,Craig's List, Linkdin) 15 21 24 13 26 81

Online - Your own CorporateWebsite 57 12 8 9 9 90

Online - Paid Recruiting websites(Career Builder, Monster, etc.) 16 10 34 24 11 89

Online - No Cost Websites(LouisianaWorks.net /LAWORKS.Net)

24 17 27 10 16 89

College/University Career Centers 11 16 36 18 13 85

Job Fairs 12 12 37 21 13 87

Professional recruiter or headhunter 3 10 28 28 27 80

Temp Agencies 6 8 37 20 23 83

Local Business & Career SolutionsCenters, including Job 1 3 6 33 24 28 81

Newspaper 5 10 32 23 24 85

Radio and/or Television 1 0 8 27 58 78

Other (please specify) 2answered question 94

skipped question 1* Surveyor did make assumption that no answer to a singular form of recruitment was anindication of not applicable (n/a) which would be equivalent to a response of “Never Tried,”therefore, the totals for that category have been adjusted to reflect the n/a assumption.


Q6. Which method(s) does your organization use in recruiting for positions cont…

* Surveyor did make assumption that no answer to a singular form of recruitment was anindication of not applicable (n/a) which would be equivalent to a response of “Never Tried,”therefore, the totals for that category have been adjusted to reflect the n/a assumption.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Networking/Word of Mouth

Online - Social Media

Online - Your own Corporate Website

Online - Paid Recruiting websites

Online - No Cost Websites

College/University Career Centers

Job Fairs

Professional recruiter or headhunter

Temp Agencies

Local Business & Career Solutions Centers

Newspaper

Radio and/or Television

Which method(s) does your organization use in recruiting for permanent positions:

Never tried Not likely to try Some of the time Most of the time Always


Q7. Tell us about your hiring process:

With 94 responding to this question, we see that the predominant application preference istrough an online system. However, there are 27, or (29%) that indicated that a paperapplication is still their primary method and mostly in combination with a resume. Additionally,the reliance on background checks are prominent among respondents at 71.3%, followed bydrug testing at 64.9%

Tell us about your hiring process (check all that apply):


ResponseCount

Paper application 40.4% 38Online application system 63.8% 60Resume accepted 58.5% 55Drug Testing 64.9% 61Background Check 71.3% 67Other (please specify) 5


Number Other (please specify)1 work references2 Online skills assessment3 DMV Check, Reference Check4 Physical fitness and psychological testing required5 Paper application at time of interview






ResponseCount









ResponseCount





Q8. The time span from when a job vacancy becomes available to the time it isfilled is referred to as the Recruitment Period. How would you best describeyour Recruitment Period?:

With 100% responding, 1/3rd indicates they typically are able to fill positions within 30 days,while roughly half are within 30 – 60 days. Only 17% indicate that it takes more than 60 dayson average to fill positions. The two industries that fall into this category most often areFinance/Insurance and Healthcare.

The time span from when a job vacancy becomes available to the time it is filled isreferred to as the Recruitment Period. How would you best describe yourRecruitment Period?


ResponseCount

Less than 30 days 33.7% 3230 to 60 days 49.5% 47More than 60 days 16.8% 16


33.7%

49.5%

16.8%

. How would you best describe your Recruitment Period?

Less than 30 days

30 to 60 days

More than 60 days


Q9. How would you categorize reasons for Turnover in the last 12 months?:

There were 93 of 95 responding to this question. While all turnover is not bad nor can it befully avoided, it can certainly provide tremendous insight as to the functionality of the workingenvironment and culture of organizations. 33 of 88 respondents indicated either involuntarytermination or self-selecting termination due to low performance or perhaps poor job fit. Ininstances such as this, organizations can seek opportunities and consider adjustments to theirscreening process to further reduce these numbers or speed-up the process of self-selection forvoluntary departure. The departure of high performers can not necessarily be avoided, butshould be a concern for the organization where it occurs often. This is a sign that there issomething significantly dysfunctional happening at the organizational level, symptoms ofteninclude perception of working conditions, less than competitive wages, inflexible schedules, andtoo frequently, poor management/supervision.

The respondents indicated that retirement as a reason for departure still remains rare among59% that responded. As the boomers get closer and closer to retirement age, it is expectedthat the turnover due to retirement will shift more from the “Sometimes” category to the“Often” category.

How would you categorize reasons for Turnover in the last 12 months?

Answer Options Often Sometimes Rare ResponseCount

Involuntary Termination 20 42 26 88Functional Voluntary quit

(Low performers leave on their own) 13 46 29 88

Dysfunctional Voluntary(High Performers leave) 8 39 39 86

Retirement 10 26 52 88Other 4 13 21 38Comments 5


Number Comments1 don't show up for work, poor work ethic

2Employees leave for better opportunities or get hired on directly by the federalgovernment

3 Reduction in force sometimes needed.4 Moved out of the area or found a permanent job elsewhere not through our agency.5 Moving


Q9. How would you categorize reasons for Turnover in the last 12 months cont…:

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

InvoluntaryTermination

FunctionalVoluntary quit

(Low performersleave on their

own)

DysfunctionalVoluntary (High

Performersleave)

Retirement Other

How would you categorize reasons for Turnover in the last 12 months?

Often Sometimes Rare

Number Other1 don't show up for work, poor work ethic2 Employees leave for better opportunities or get hired on directly by the federal government3 Reduction in force sometimes needed.4 Moved out of the area or found a permanent job elsewhere not through our agency.5 Moving


Q10. Percentage of current workforce that could potentially consider retirementin the next 5 years:

More than 1/3rd of respondents have more than 10% of their current workforce that are orsoon will be in a position to retire within the next five years. When this occurs, a tremendousamount of intellectual capital can be lost quickly and suddenly, significantly impacting theproductivity and quality of operations. 21 out of 46 respondents specified they do not have asuccession plan in place, however, that number appears to be under reported. It is more likelythat respondents that indicated neither a yes or no or other response to this portion of thequestion are also unlikely to have a succession plan in place, which potentially raises the realnumber to 67, representing 73% of respondents.

Percentage of current workforce that could potentially consider retirement in the next 5 years

Answer Options NotSure 0 - 5% 5 - 10% 10 - 20% 20 - 30% More than

30%Response

Count

Currently over the age of 60 6 32 22 16 8 5 89Has been working with theorganization for 20+ years 6 29 18 14 13 9 89

Does your organization have a succession plan in place? 46answered question 92

skipped question 3

0102030405060708090

100

Currently over the age of 60Has been working with the organization for 20+ years

Percentage of current workforce that could potentially considerretirement in the next 5 years Not Sure

0 - 5%

5 - 10%

10 - 20%

20 - 30%

More than30%

54%46%

YesNo

Specified Succession Plan in Place**Only 21 of 92 provided aspecific response of Yes,:implication that actually73% likely do not have a

plan


Q11. How knowledgeable are you about the following resources through theLouisiana Workforce Commission and the Local Business & Career SolutionsCenters?:

Of the 93 respondents, the most recognized service to businesses from the Louisiana WorkforceCommission is the online recruitment with 81% indicating somewhat to very familiar. The leastrecognized resource available were associated more so with the Business & Career SolutionsCenters, such as the customized recruitment events and in-center recruitment and pre-screening assistance with more than 45% indication no familiarity with these resources. Thereis a significant gap in the knowledge base of no-cost resources and resources that directlysupport reduction in the cost associated with primary human resource functions.

Of particular interest is the knowledge gap associated with the Work Opportunity Tax Credit(WOTC) that provides tax credits of $1,200 - $9,600 to businesses for hiring special populations,such as veterans. It is likely that only those very familiar (31) with the program are activelytaking advantage of this program, leaving the likelihood that 66% have not been sufficientlyinformed enough to incorporate it into their hiring practices.

Another resource that is severely underutilized is On-the-Job Training, a partial wagereimbursement program for eligible new hires, with only 17% indicating strong familiarity.However, it appears that 43% do have some acquaintance with this resource.

How knowledgeable are you about the following resources through the Louisiana Workforce Commission and theLocal Business & Career Solutions Centers?

Answer Options Very Familiar SomewhatFamiliar

Not familiarat all

ResponseCount

Work Opportunity Tax Credits for hiring specialtarget populations 31 39 23 93

Partial wage reimbursements for training eligiblenew hires On-the-Job (OJT) 16 40 37 93

Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP &SBET) 29 31 33 93

Online Job Postings and Virtual Recruiter(louisianaworks.net) 42 33 18 93

Access to Labor Market Information 21 41 31 93Recruitment & Pre-screening Assistance 20 34 40 93Customized Recruitment Events 18 31 44 93For more information today about the above resources, please visit www.RegionOneWorks.net



Q11. How knowledgeable are you about the following resources through the LouisianaWorkforce Commission and the Local Business & Career Solutions Centers cont…

We would like to thank the NOLA-SHRM Chapter members that participated inthis 2015 Workforce Needs Assessment survey process!

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Work Opportunity Tax Credits forhiring special target populations

Partial wage reimbursements fortraining eligible new hires On-the-

Job (OJT)

Incumbent Worker TrainingProgram (IWTP & SBET)

Online Job Postings and VirtualRecruiter (louisianaworks.net)

Access to Labor MarketInformation

Recruitment & Pre-screeningAssistance

Customized Recruitment Events

How knowledgeable are you about the following resources through theLouisiana Workforce Commission and the Local Business & Career

Solutions Centers?

Not familiar at all Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar

2015 WORKFORCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT - nola.shrm.org Workforce... · A Workforce Needs Assessment survey...

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