(Spencer)– Updated laborshed information has been released by the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation and Iowa Workforce Development.
It shows businesses in the Corridor’s four county area of Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet counties draw workers from as far as Brunsville in the west, Fort Dodge in the east, Windom, Minnesota to the north and Wall Lake to the south. It says workers are commuting an average of 12 minutes one way.
The report goes on to say that wholesale and retail trade is the largest employer industry in the region with nearly 16.5 percent of the workforce employed in that category. Officials say that’s consistent with the 16.4 percent reported in 2022. The percentage of people working in the healthcare industry increased from 12.7 percent to 15.8 percent. Other major industries are manufacturing, 11.4 percent of the total workforce, and transportation, 8.1 percent.
7.4 percent of survey respondents described themselves as unemployed with about 63 percent of those likely to accept an employment opportunity. The report also says that of those surveyed, 1 in 4 employed people say they would be willing to change employment for the right opportunity.
You can find the report at the corridor’s website: Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation
