There were a lot of head-nodding moments — and more than a few surprises — when business leaders gathered to hear the results of a countywide workforce study Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Savannah.
While noting Savannah’s workforce issues are not unique, the study identified several areas that need improvement, with many job candidates exhibiting a lack of training, education and/or experience.
Both employees and employers cited transportation issues, including a lack of public transportation to the workplace, as a barrier to employment, while employers put a heavier emphasis on soft skills than did their applicants.
Human resources managers said they were less satisfied with potential job candidates’ oral and written communication, math and computer skills, professional behavior, punctuality and business etiquette and more satisfied with productivity, job safety, teamwork, attitude, reliability, attendance and work ethic.
An accurate measure
“For years, we’ve been hearing about various workforce issues in this area,” said Bill Hubbard, president and CEO of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, which teamed with the Savannah Economic Development Authority and the United Way of the Coastal Empire to sponsor the study.
“But for the most part, what we’ve heard has been anecdotal — there’s this problem here, that strength there.
“We wanted to find out what everyone was experiencing so we would have a sense of common shortcomings as well as strengths and move as a community toward finding solutions.”
Two parallel studies, conducted by Armstrong Atlantic State University economist Mike Toma and SEDA economic research manager Leia Dedic, looked at the countywide workforce from the perspective of human resource professionals, job seekers and available workforce training providers.
“From SEDA’s perspective, the top two things prospective companies look at when they consider Savannah are infrastructure and workforce,” said SEDA president Trip Tollison.
“We know we have the infrastructure, but we needed a better understanding of our workforce, both the positives and the negatives.”
The good, the bad and the surprising
After looking at the study results, Tollison and Hubbard agreed there were some surprising conclusions.
“For one, employers indicated that the number of job applicants they reject due to positive drug screens is considerably lower than we expected based on anecdotal information,” Tollison said.
Toma’s research showed fewer than 20 percent failed drug, background or credit checks.
“And talking to HR managers one-on-one, I would say that number is high,” Toma said.
Perhaps the most surprising statistic revealed by the survey related to the employability of job seekers with criminal convictions.
While potential employees with criminal records saw that fact as the No. 1 barrier to employment — many saying it prevents them from even applying for positions — employers were not nearly as harsh.
Some 81 percent of hiring managers would consider an applicant with a misdemeanor conviction; while an unexpected 21 percent said a felony conviction would not automatically preclude an applicant from consideration.
Other findings:
• 61 organizations in Chatham County offer 221 workforce programs, but one organization — Savannah Technical College — delivers 63 percent of them.
• All identified people groups (single mothers, ex-offenders, veterans, etc.) are served and taking advantage of the workforce programs
• There are programs available for each skill gap identified; however, effectiveness was not measured and skill gaps are still being identified by employers.
• 83 percent of new jobs in Chatham County require only a highschool diploma or less.
• 67 percent of employers offer some type of job training, and 57 percent said they would be willing to hire an applicant without the necessary skills and train them if they had the right set of soft skills, including customer service, internal communications and teamwork skills.
For Tollison, the biggest takeaway was this:
“If you want a skill in this town, you can get it. And if you have good soft skills, most companies are willing to hire and train you.”
Perception issues
Aside from very real funding issues, the study indicated that most workforce development organizations lack marketing and outreach programs, which contributes to awareness issues.
Indeed, only 28 percent of employers contact workforce organizations for help with training.
But employers aren’t the only ones with perception issues, the study suggests.
In addition to overestimating the negative effect of prior convictions, job seekers tend to underestimate the importance of professional behavior, appearance, the ability to work as a member of a team and other soft skills in winning and keeping a good job.
And like employers, potential employees demonstrated low awareness of available workforce programs.