Central Iowa Works, an initiative of United Way of of Central Iowa, on Thursday released results of a study identifying the “pain points” that Greater Des Moines’ retail and service industry employers face in finding and retaining workers. 

Central Iowa Works Director Pat Steele said the report, “Preparing for Partnership: An Analysis of the Retail Industry in Central Iowa,” is a jumping-off point for a regional discussion about partnership opportunities to build a stronger workforce in these sectors. 

“As in any industry or region, the ability of local retail employers to effectively capitalize on changing economic realities and continue to successfully meet demand will depend, in large part, on their ability to effectively access a pipeline of quality talent,” he said. “This will be a primary goal of the Central Iowa Works retail project.”

Central Iowa Works is focusing on this issue as the demand for employees within the retail and service sectors grows in Greater Des Moines, and residents seek jobs that allow them to advance in careers and be financially self-sufficient. 

The analysis report, conducted by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), is part of a $300,000 grant from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Des Moines, along with Seattle and Baltimore, was one of three cities chosen nationally to focus on building partnerships with employers, educators, and community leaders to expand opportunities in retail and connected sectors. 

Among the highlights in the report: 

• Central Iowa has a larger share of people employed in the retail industry than in the state and nation.
• Employers have a high need to fill entry-level, service-heavy jobs.
• Employers need employees with soft skills and professionalism for their front-line workforce.
• Limited internal career pathways and formal on-the-job training methods exist.
• Hiring processes, scheduling, compensation, child care, and transportation to and from work play a significant role in filling positions and retaining workers.
• Many of the workforce issues could be addressed in partnership to have greater impact on the issues individual employers face.

The lack of access to affordable child care and limited transportation options for employees were not surprising to representatives of several Greater Des Moines retailers and other organizations as barriers, according to a small group of retail representatives who met at United Way for a luncheon forum Thursday. Also, a lack of soft skills among current and prospective retail employees is also a universal issue, businesses said. 

“We’re finding it so hard to find people who can interact with someone face-to-face,” a Bankers Trust representative said. “And when something unexpected comes up that’s beyond the normal routine, people have trouble handling that. We’re just seeing that some of the basic communications skills are a struggle.” 

On the transportation issue, Iowa Restaurant Association President and CEO Jessica Dunker suggested that employers could make Uber cards available to their workers. Kevin Hetland, recruiting manager for Intoxalock in Des Moines, said that his company already provides a company Uber card to its employees on an as-needed basis. 

Regarding training, Joe McConville, a co-owner of Gusto Pizza Co., said his company’s biggest need is getting more skilled, full-time employees to augment its part-time workforce. 

“That’s really where we’re lacking right now, especially people who have more hard skills such as cooking and [being able to] learn and show up,” said McConville, whose business operates four locations in Greater Des Moines.“What we have right now is pretty solid, but a lot of the new hires are a lot more unreliable than they ever have been. So we’re looking to get a little bit more reliability.” 

Providing employee training opportunities collaboratively could give small businesses in Greater Des Moines opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have, said Sarah Miller, associate vice president of CAEL. 

Although many U.S. retail jobs are at high risk of being eliminated as a result of automation and online sales, Greater Des Moines retailers said they don’t think that’s a major concern locally. “From our conversations, the businesses [locally] are not as concerned with this as the data may indicate,” Miller said. “Significant changes in technology are too far down the road to affect the [hiring] pipeline right now.” 

With the release of the report, Central Iowa Works will continue to convene stakeholders to discuss issues and to take specific actions to address workforce issues highlighted in the report.