Survey shows well educated, moderate-cost, quality workforce available in Laramie County, Wyoming

Laramie County offers an employer a well educated, moderate-cost, quality workforce, according to the April 2005 Labor Market Assessment performed by Wadley-Donovan Group. The labor availability is satisfactory to good in entry-level clerical and administrative assistants, clerical workers with advanced computer skills, accounting clerks, accountants, warehousemen, production and general workers, hospitality and foodservice workers.

There is also a hidden workforce in the county consisting of 12,915 under-employed individuals and 5,971 residents who are not in the workforce, but would like to work if given a job opportunity that matches their experience and training.

Employment Base

Public administration, transportation/warehousing, and construction are major industry components of the local employment base. Conversely, manufacturing, professional, and educational services are only represented at percentages well below U.S. averages.

Population Growth

Population growth forecasts for the area show rates that continue to trail the national average. Between 2004 and 2009, forecasts for the county show a growth rate of 1.8% versus 6.3% for the nation. Meanwhile, the 30-minute commute zone is expected to see a 1.9% population growth rate during the same period, compared to a 3.2% rate in the 45-minute zone. These slower-than-average growth trends will inhibited the county's ability to meet any significant labor needs of new and expanding employers.

Demographic Characteristics

According to the survey, Laramie County's median age of the area's residents generally matches the national average, and the median household income is below the national average ($45,498 versus $48,619). The educational levels are higher than the national average, with 62.4% of the county residents having post-secondary education, versus 51.4% the U.S.

The educational levels of the employed residents are high, with 69% having post-secondary education. Almost 26% have at least a bachelors degree. The under-employed are even better educated. Almost 83% of these residents have post-secondary education, and 37% have at least a bachelors degree. Significantly, 12.7% of these under-employed residents have a graduate or professional degree.

Labor Availability

The core area's labor force (42,580) growth rate over the last five years has been about 2.5% per annum, which is over 2-1/2 times higher than the population growth rate. These area-wide differentials have begun to put pressure on labor availability. Currently, the county's unemployment rate is roughly 4.4%, equating to about 2,000 unemployed residents. Interviewed business leaders indicated this level of unemployment was approaching the unemployable level.

However, despite this tightening, both statistical data from the Wyoming Job Network and discussions with business leaders indicate that entry-level workers in various fields are readily available: i.e., clerical, (entry- to mid-level), bookkeeping, bank tellers, warehousemen, production and general workers, hospitality and food service workers, and CNA's and home health aides.

Conversely, the survey showed that medical specialists of all types, IT-certified specialists, skilled manufacturing workers (especially in batch and process flow), mid-level and senior managers, database administrators, systems analysts, programmers, experienced truck drivers, various technicians, technical engineers (with work experience), heavy-equipment operators, and computer programmers are all in short supply.

Importantly, Laramie County has a sizable hidden labor force consisting of two elements: the under-employed (i.e., individuals who are working at jobs below their potential based upon education and training), and not-employed residents who are interested in working. The ages of the not-employed and under-employed are favorable to companies looking for a young or experienced workforce. Among the not-employed, 56% are under 45 years of age, and among the under-employed, 66% fall into this category.

The skill base of the under-employed ranges across several occupational groups. Management/administration and computer-related support staff are the two largest groups, followed by certified K-12 teachers and construction and building trades professions.

The employable skills among the not-employed residents who want to work also range across several occupations, with construction and building trades, professional computer occupations, and kitchen-related skills within the hospitality/hotel and restaurant sectors as the three largest groups.

In addition to this hidden labor supply, an employer has the potential of accessing the graduating students from the University of Wyoming in nearby Laramie, from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, and from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

Labor Quality

The quality of the county's workforce is good. Surveyed employers are satisfied with the basic skills of job applicants, and computer skills meet or exceed job requirements. The computer-skill-availability ratings for many of these skills exceed the ratings seen by WDG in most of its comparable studies across the country.

Overall work ethic is viewed by employers as generally satisfactory, and employee turnover and absenteeism are rated by employers as low.

Almost 90% of employers polled said they have formal in-house training programs. 75% of these use company employees as trainers, while another 20% use private vendors. The state's "Quick Start" program (licensed from the State of Georgia) for training employees of new or expanding companies was given high marks by surveyed employers.

Wages and Salaries

The average annual earnings of office personnel in the county are slightly higher (5%-10%) than statewide averages. These labor rates reflect the high "public administration" component in the county's labor force, i.e., employees of the state government and federal government (F.E. Warren Air Force Base and a variety of U.S. Government offices).

The Wadley-Donovan Group's survey revealed a minimum wage of $8.50-$9.00 per hour for entry-level office employees. Outbound call centers offer entry rates of $7.50-$8.00, with commissions. Distribution centers will start entry-level pick-and-pack employees at $8.75 (although the newly announced Wal-Mart distribution center-which publicized its location to Cheyenne after the conclusion of the WDG study-may offer higher rates).

For a small portion of the white-collar labor force, employees are paid below statewide averages. This is most notable in the "technical and professional" job categories, where technicians are being paid 15% to 20% below statewide averages, despite being in short or only moderate supply. Overall, blue-collar occupations are paid 10%-25% below state averages, even for occupations reported in short supply.