Rockford Labor Analysis

Labor Shed Analysis

Rockford has the Workforce You Need! Nearly 25% of the Rockford Area workforce is employed in manufacturing, which is twice the national average. The Rockford MSA (~350,000 people) is the fastest growing MSA in the state of Illinois and has been for two consecutive years. This growth is expected to continue. The Rockford region is a community that still understands shift work and values companies that need employees with industrial skills. A recent study by The Pathfinders (Dallas TX), polling Rockford area employers on existing workforce characteristics, found that Rockford’s labor-shed actually consists of a five-county region with a population of over 807,000 individuals and that the workforce was over 435,000 people. This number far exceeds the federal government’s assumption of a two-county MSA population of approximately 350,000 people and a labor force of about 175,000. In surveying the residents, the study concluded that over 65,000 people were determined to be under-employed, the majority of which had manufacturing skills; furthermore, the study concluded that over 40,000 individuals commuted out of the labor-shed daily, typically to the Chicago MSA, for manufacturing, technical and executive office jobs.

Availability

  • Within a 2 hour commute, one can reach approximately 13 million people
  • Within a 30-40 minute commute (the Rockford labor shed), one can reach a total population of approximately 807,300 people
  • The labor force is determined to be approximately 434,800 people
  • The labor shed contains approximately 16,800 unemployed people who are actively seeking work
  • Approximately 42,600 in the area can be classified as “underemployed”
  • In addition, 2,500 persons are not working but would consider re-entering the workforce.
  • In total, approximately 65,500 people are available for employers
  • Approximately 42,600 people commute our of Winnebago and Boone county to work
  • When surveyed, 73% of the commuting individuals said they would consider taking a job in Boone or Winnebago County if one comparable to their current job became available, 47% indicated that they would be willing to take a job in Boone/Winnebago County that was available, but not comparable to their current job.

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