“ Come gather ' round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You ' ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin '; And you better start swimmin '; Or you ' ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin '
- Bob Dylan , 1963
WHO IS THE WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW ?
Written by
Brittany Dougherty
Vice President , Research and Strategy Southern Indiana Works
Yes , the times are “ a-changing ” and the population and workforce in Southern Indiana is changing , so how we serve and develop our local workforce also needs to change .
Southern Indiana Works , a community based non-profit organization that serves as the local workforce development board , is a business-led collaborative focused on developing and connecting talent to regional businesses .
Our mission is to “ Lead a robust talent development system and cultivate a skilled workforce that advances our community , economy , and quality of life .”
As an organization we want to be a convenor and partner that supports our regional talent development system . Our region has strong businesses , education institutions , and social service organizations that comprise our talent development ecosystem .
The talent development ecosystem is more important than ever . This is evident from the “ Now Hiring ” “ Apply Now ” “ Sign On Bonus ” signs that are visible along roadsides and at businesses across our region . Local businesses and organizations need workers .
From 2017 to 2022 , the number of jobs in our region increased by 1.2 %, and during this same time our labor force participation rate decreased from 64.3 % to 63.1 %.
We had an increase in the number of jobs and a decrease in the percentage of individuals participating in the workforce . According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development , our region had an unemployment rate of 3.2 % ( 4,991 individuals ) in May 2023 .
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2023 snapshot | a special publication of the News and Tribune
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