Need Better Workforce Data? Ask SCEDC.

Put the Data to Work: SCEDC Offers Powerful Economic and Workforce Intelligence Through JobsEQ 

Economic development decisions often begin with a question…

Do we have enough workers to support an expansion? What should we expect to pay for a particular occupation? How large is our potential workforce if we look beyond Steuben County? Which industries are concentrated in our region? What skills will employers need in the future?

Finding information online is relatively easy. Finding the right information, at the right geographic level, and putting it into context can be much more difficult.

That's where the Steuben County Economic Development Corporation can help.

A Resource You May Not Know SCEDC Has

Through the investment of private-sector businesses that support the organization and its economic development mission, SCEDC maintains access to JobsEQ by Chmura Economics & Analytics, an economic and workforce intelligence platform.

JobsEQ gives SCEDC another tool to fulfill its broader mission of leading economic prosperity through collaboration while strengthening employment opportunities and improving quality of life in Steuben County. Those objectives are central to SCEDC's strategic plan, which identifies Business Retention & Expansion, Business Attraction, Talent Attraction & Development, Marketing & Messaging, and Community Development & Growth as its five focus areas. 

For area businesses and community partners, however, the important part is much simpler:

If you have a question about Steuben County's economy or workforce, consider asking SCEDC.

From Steuben County to the 45-Minute Labor Shed

One of the most valuable features of JobsEQ is the ability to examine economic conditions at different geographic levels. County statistics are important, but employers rarely recruit workers based on county boundaries. Employees commute from surrounding communities, and Steuben County sits within a larger tri-state economy.

That's why SCEDC can also use JobsEQ to examine a 45-minute labor shed around Steuben County. The distinction can be significant.

JobsEQ's current Steuben County economic overview reports a population of 34,726, a civilian labor force of 17,579, and a labor-force participation rate of 61.1%. The same analysis provides comparisons with the much larger 45-minute labor shed, which contains a population of more than 1.3 million. That broader perspective can be especially useful when a company is evaluating workforce availability, recruiting potential, an expansion or a new location.

What Can SCEDC Research?

JobsEQ allows SCEDC to examine a wide range of economic and workforce questions. Depending on the needs of a business or community partner, research can include workforce availability and occupational data, wage and compensation benchmarking, industry trends and forecasts, labor-shed analysis, demographics, educational attainment, talent pipelines and postsecondary programs, industry concentration, supply-chain relationships, and information useful for business attraction and site-selection decisions.

The platform can also move from broad economic indicators into highly specific occupations and industries.

For example, JobsEQ currently identifies 17,176 jobs across all industries in Steuben County, with average annual wages of $50,695. Manufacturing represents approximately 5,050 jobs, making it the county's largest industry sector in the report. The analysis can then drill further into occupations, including employment, average wages and annual workforce demand. 

For an employer, that can turn a broad question—"What does the labor market look like?"—into a much more useful discussion about the workers and skills needed for a particular operation.

A Manufacturing Example Shows the Power of the Labor Shed

Consider fabricated metal product manufacturing.

If we looked only at Steuben County, we would see an important local industry. But when JobsEQ examines the full 45-minute labor shed, the scale of the regional manufacturing workforce becomes much clearer.

The current analysis identifies approximately 22,283 fabricated metal product manufacturing jobs within the labor shed, with average annual wages of $69,433. Even more telling is the industry's location quotient of 4.00, indicating a concentration four times the national average. 

JobsEQ can then go deeper.

Within that industry and labor shed, the platform identifies approximately 1,674 machinists, 1,621 team assemblers, 1,401 welders/cutters/solderers/brazers, and 1,046 computer numerically controlled tool operators employed in fabricated metal product manufacturing. 

For a manufacturer considering an expansion, a workforce partner developing training programs, or a prospective company evaluating Steuben County, that level of detail can help turn assumptions into better-informed decisions.

Connecting Workforce, Education and Business Decisions

JobsEQ isn't useful only for employers.

Economic and workforce data can help educators better understand occupational demand and connections between postsecondary programs and industries. It can help local governments and community leaders understand demographic and employment trends. It can assist developers and investors in evaluating the economic conditions surrounding potential projects. And it can give SCEDC additional intelligence when responding to business attraction opportunities.

That aligns closely with SCEDC's strategic direction. The organization's strategic plan calls for adapting and growing key industries, attracting target and supply-chain industries, attracting and upskilling the workforce, promoting Steuben County's economic advantages, and supporting community growth. Reliable data supports each of those objectives.

Your Question Can Be the Starting Point

You don't need to know JobsEQ or understand economic databases to use this resource.

Start with the business question.

Perhaps you are considering an expansion and want to better understand the available workforce. Maybe you're having difficulty filling a position and want to understand the regional occupational market. You may want to benchmark wages, explore an industry's supply chain, understand demographic trends, or evaluate how Steuben County compares with a larger region.

Bring the question to SCEDC

Our team can determine whether JobsEQ can provide information that helps you better understand the issue and make a more informed decision.

SCEDC's access to this sophisticated resource is made possible by the private-sector businesses that invest in and support the organization. Their investment strengthens SCEDC's ability to provide economic development services and intelligence to the community. Accordingly, SCEDC supporters receive priority for customized data requests.

The next time your business, organization or community has an economic or workforce question, don't assume the information isn't available—or that you have to find it on your own.

Contact SCEDC. Put our data to work for you.