New Laborshed details regional labor pool

NEW LABORSHED DETAILS REGIONAL LABOR POOL

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) and Iowa Workforce Development announced the updated “Laborshed” reports for Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet Counties for 2025.

Conducted every three years, the “Laborshed” study provides detailed information about workforce availability, occupations, wages, benefits and commuting patterns. Iowa Workforce Development estimates that there are 121,803 workers in the Corridor “Laborshed,” defined as the area or region from which an employment center draws its commuting workers. This is an increase of 5,000 over the 2022 estimate. Data is based on mail surveys of businesses in the region and phone call surveys of residents.

“Workforce data and commuting patterns from the Iowa Workforce Development Laborshed reports are important to both existing businesses and potential industry in the Iowa Lakes Corridor Region,” said Corridor President & CEO Curt Strouth. “In our Business Retention & Expansion visits and other conversations with business leadership, workforce is always a topic. Being able to put numbers to these conversations is helpful as we support business and community growth and develop local programming.”

Businesses in the Iowa Lakes Corridor Region draw workers from as far as Brunsville in the west, Fort Dodge in the east, Windom, Minn. to the north and Wall Lake to the south. The employed are currently commuting an average of 12 minutes one way.

Wholesale & Retail Trade is the largest employer industry in the region. Approximately 19,549 people (16.5 percent of the workforce) are employed in Wholesale & Retail Trade, consistent with 16.4 percent reported in 2022. In comparison, the percentage of people employed in healthcare increased from 12.7 percent to 15.8 percent. Other major industries are Manufacturing (11.4 percent of the workforce) and Transportation (8.1 percent).

Among survey respondents, 7.4 percent described themselves as unemployed. This is different than the amount published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which applies to a stricter definition for unemployment. 63.1 percent of these individuals are likely to accept an employment opportunity, and 1 in 4 employed people say they would be willing to change employment for the right opportunity.

Laborshed reports for the region and the communities of Estherville, Spencer, Spirit Lake and Storm Lake are available on the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation website, http://lakescorridor.com/, or by email at info@lakescorridor.com. 

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ABOUT THE IOWA LAKES CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation is the regional economic development agency for Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet counties. The Iowa Lakes Corridor’s mission is to foster, encourage, promote, aid or otherwise assist in the economic development growth and development of the four-county region.