The laborshed employment study released by Midwest Partnership last month provides information for comparisons of Greene County employment opportunities now and three years ago, before the addition of a Hy-Vee grocery store and Wild Rose Casino in Jefferson.
Of particular interest is the number of county residents going to other counties to work. Greene County Development Corporation executive director Ken Paxton compared the 2016 study to one done in 2013.
The earlier study showed 29.8 percent of Greene County residents leaving for work, while the newer study showed that number at 25.3 percent. “I think this is a direct function of all the new jobs we have through the casino, Hy-Vee and manufacturers expanding,” Paxton said. “People can easily find work here.”
The number of outbound commuters who said they were likely to change employment has decreased significantly, from 22.6 percent (130 persons) in 2013 to 4.9 percent (24 persons) in 2016. “I think the reason for this is also the addition of jobs in Greene County. In 2013, people were looking outside Greene County for work but have since found it locally, so there are fewer outbound commuters and fewer looking or needing to change jobs,” he said.
Still, one-fourth of Greene County workers are leaving the county. “This could have something to do with the housing shortage that we will be addressing with the Greene County workforce housing study results,” Paxton said. “Our sample of 800 indicated that almost 25 percent of the labor force that works in Greene County lives outside the county and their primary reason for living outside Greene County is lack of housing.”
More results of the workforce housing study will be released in the coming weeks.
