Iowa Business Council to focus on workforce development, attraction, retention
The Iowa Business Council this year plans to focus on promoting workforce development, attraction and retention.
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The council – which represents the top executives of the state’s largest businesses, the presidents of Iowa’s three state universities and the Iowa Banking Association – also released its Iowa Competitive Index for the year. The index showed the measures for economic growth, education and workforce readiness, governance and fiscal matters, and health and well-being remained unchanged from 2015. The trend for demographics and diversity, which had been a concern, showed improvement over the past year based on five-year census data.
The group plans to support efforts such as Gov. Terry Branstad’s call for changes that would by 2025 assure 70 percent of Iowans have education or training beyond high school. The council also wants to make sure educational assessments align with state standards for elementary and secondary schools.
The council also wants a comprehensive review of public pension plans, a more efficient Medicaid system, and more public-private partnerships to lure potential employees to Iowa.
“Iowa has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.” the group reported. “For several decades now it also has had one of the slowest population growth rates among the 50 states. Recent surveys conducted by Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Business Council indicate there will be nearly 100,000 job openings at companies statewide by 2021 simply due to employee retirements.
These job openings, coupled with the fact that 28 percent of Iowa employers plan to expand in the next three years, bring to bear a critical need for skilled workers. Nearly 70 percent of all these new and existing job opportunities will require post-secondary education and training beyond high school.”
Retirements also will put pressure on the workforce, the council reported.
Read the full report.
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