Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook - Flipbook - Page 55
Labor Supply,
Workforce Availability,
and Training
Ch.5
Economic disruptions — whether natural or human-caused disasters or
economic downturns — have profound impacts on regional workforces. More
severe disasters can ofen result in mass migrations away from the afected
region and deplete the region’s workforce, as noted earlier in this Playbook in
the Town of Paradise Case Study (on pages 30-31). With the regional workforce
depleted, economic recovery can prove extremely challenging as the human
capital required for recovery no longer exists. Without significant preparation
aimed at retaining regional workforces through disasters, the road to recovery
becomes much longer and requires much greater investment afer the fact.
This chapter discusses practices that can help prepare for and minimize
workforce loss during economic disruptions or disasters and help local
businesses recoup workforce losses. By adopting the practices in this chapter,
local governments can bolster the resiliency of their community's workforce.
The practices presented in this section focus on collaborative eforts among
local government, industry leaders, educational institutions, and public and
nonprofit organizations to ensure that the current workforce is skilled and that
the appropriate infrastructure exists to yield skilled replacements as needed.
Workforce Study Review
A review of other similar workforce studies is a logical and relatively simple
step that can be taken to better understand how to make your workforce
more resilient to disasters and economic disruptions. Conducting such a
review is an efective method of determining best practices for bolstering
workforce resiliency. Reaching out to local universities to partner in this efort
can help complete the process. A workforce study review can help provide
clarity and focus to your own studies and/or assessments, improve research
methodology (especially in shaping survey tools), broaden your knowledge
base, and contextualize findings. In addition, a workforce study review is an
efective way of disseminating information, as it consolidates and summarizes
findings from multiple studies and other relevant materials into a relatively
short and digestible package.
When conducting a workforce study review, it is best to focus on the workforce
issues afecting your jurisdiction. Some excellent places to look for these types
of studies include the USDA Bureau of Labor Statistics, Public Policy Institute
of California, local chambers of commerce, and similar studies or reviews
performed by other practitioners. While researching general workforce issues
can be helpful, individual local governments face diferent challenges when it
comes to establishing workforce resiliency. It is more efective to research the
common workforce challenges faced by your community, as these challenges
will likely be greatly exacerbated in times of disaster and economic strife.
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