The Marion County Development Commission held a study of 37 local employers to better understand their needs moving forward.
Executive Director of the Marion County Development Commission Carla Eysink tells KNIA/KRLS News most local businesses and industry are outpacing state rates for overall growth and development of new services or technologies.
“I think we have a good group of employers that are really dedicated to continuous improvement, and those concepts allow them to continually build emerging and growth products,” she says.
However, Eysink says three-fourths of those surveyed say there is a need for development in technology infrastructure and the workforce locally — both of which are inhibiting expansion at facilities in the county. Recruitment problems are impacting 90% of the companies interviewed, and 45% of them that are growing are not considering local expansion due to the lack of qualified workers available.
“We have way more companies expanding in our area than what’s happening across the state, but many of them are not considering our area for expansion, because of the fact they can’t recruit they can’t recruit workforce to the area to fill the new job needs,” she says.
The key to overall growth is additional housing, Eysink suggests, with all communities in the counties lagging behind where they should be in the number required to grow local population, according to a needs assessment study completed in 2015.
Hear more about the latest issues for Marion County employers on today’s Let’s Talk Pella (audio player below).

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