The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently released the results of its16th annual employer survey. Notably, 68% of respondents felt that Indiana is headed in the right direction. While still a challenge, the results of this survey indicate that workforce readiness and retention is trending in the right direction. The percentage of employers reporting that the supply of qualified applicants doesn't meet their needs has dropped from 72% in 2021 to 52% in 2023. While 67% of respondents reported leaving jobs open in the past year due to underqualified applicants, this has dropped from 74% in 2022. Nonetheless, 42% indicated that attracting and retaining workers remains their biggest challenge.

Identifying the external factors negatively impacting talent attraction & retention, employers responded that childcare and housing were top issues. Despite this, only 13% reported either onsite childcare or an offsite partnership and only 7% reported some sort of childcare subsidy or reimbursement. The State Chamber pointed to a new $25 million Employer-Sponsored Childcare Fund and the adoption of policy recommendations by an interim study committee, but more time is needed to see whether business take advantage of this fund and whether the recommendations are adopted by the full legislature.

I took advantage of early voting at Election Central.   My residency is in Bloomington District 5.  Unfortunately there were no contested races on my ballot.  Even the at-large council races have clear winners before election day.    However, do not sleep on the MCCSC Referendum that allows every resident in the school district to make their voice heard. 

This referendum is coming only a year after MCCSC put forward a voter mechanism for pay increases in salary for both teachers and administrative staff members.  Voters approved that measure by more than 2/3rds.  This time around, funding goes toward pre-school and secondarily certification/credit fees students incumber.  Listening to Monroe County Commissioners meeting this morning,  Commissioner Githens indicated a 50 percent capacity issue with early-childhood care from a BEDC report.  We were fortunate enough to have MCCSC Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald at the Chamber's Advocacy Council who did an excellent job of explaining the need, the plan, and the cost.  The debate has become muddled with a pair of Herald Times pieces HERE and HERE.  However, talking with several key stakeholders in the early childhood education area, those pieces were misleading in some of their claims.  The plan has been worked out to include both increases capacity and provide passthrough funds to Level 3 and 4 to families that meet the income requirements.  

The Chamber is proud to have played a role in convening business leaders and service providers for a conversation regarding mental health, substance use disorder, and homelessness. This insightful conversation gave service providers the opportunity to discuss best practices and areas for growth while business leaders were able to highlight some of the serious concerns they have. We believe that creating a space for providers and the community to come together was important for a frank and honest discussion. As our President Eric Spoonmore alluded to, this issue is not unique to Bloomington. Our city, however, can distinguish itself in its response by working together to come up with compassionate and practical solutions. We look forward to further conversations followed by actions to achieve those ends.
​This event was chalk full of information and any one topic could be the subject of a dissertation. What caught my attention—particularly as it relates to the business community—was the talk about the need for people to stand by the side of those going through various crises to help them find the solid footing they need. One panelist mentioned the work Cook has done to provide second chance employment opportunities while also offering a wide range of services and resources to help people get the support they need. As the saying goes, “It takes a village”, and our business community can be part of that village. In conjunction with service providers, we should look at how we can work to lower barriers for employment for those with patchy work history or criminal records. We should look at how we can implement different programs and services to help people make the most of their second chances. One question from the audience asked how members of the community can make a difference even if it is by dedicating an hour of their day once a month. If our business community can help set up mentoring programs or a buddy system to help provide support for those in need, that can go a long way in making a difference. Relationships are the most important way to help people make it through tough times and a dedicated program to help foster these relationships can truly make a difference. I believe we can help be that village of support.

The full recording of the event is avaible below and can also be found on CATS via this link.
We asked our panelists some follow-up questions from audience members after the event. You can view their responses here.