The federal government has lots of good data but it's often not accessible. This presentation highlights some tools that give business people access to information about the economy.

1. Tools and Resources for
Workforce Planning and
Regional Economic Development
Meredith Anderson
CareerOneStop Information Architect
September 24, 2008

2. GoodForYouBars.com
• I have a custom nutrition bar business in
Borup, Minnesota with 19 employees,
including my remote web site designer
• Business is growing because we’ve had
some great reviews and orders are coming
in from all over the country
• Borup is 34 miles from Fargo so for hiring,
I’m competing with employers there

3. The Competition

4. Where is Borup, Minnesota?

5. GoodForYouBars.com: The Challenge
• Because we work with online orders and
custom recipes, I need people with good
literacy, numeracy and technology skills
• Sometimes people who are high school
graduates can’t do the work
• What’s an appropriate starting wage?
• Should I relocate my plant or increase
wages so I can build a loyal workforce?

6. My Business Services Specialist
• I met with Steve Retzer, DEED’s business
services specialist in our region
• I showed him our plant and he asked lots
of great questions about our business
• Steve and I talked about my hiring
challenges and together we looked at the
employment situation in the area

18. The Bigger Picture
• I was talking to a friend whose kids go to
school with my kids and he invited me to
the local Workforce Investment Board
(WIB) meeting
• Someone I met at the WIB meeting
showed me U.S. Census Bureau tools with
more information

20. WIA Quarterly Workforce Indicators

21. Metro Quarterly Workforce Indicators

24. Labor Shed: Where Workers Live

25. 15 Mile Radius Labor Shed

26. Regional Economic Development
• I was asked to work on a SWOT analysis
for an economic development plan
• The plan is a blueprint for talent
development in regional economies so it
will help meet my needs for a well‐
educated workforce
• My business needs aren’t all that different
from other employers in our area

28. Summary
• www.CareerOneStop.org
– Salary Info
• Regional economic development
www.CareerOneStop.org/red
– Community Economic Development HotReport
– Quarterly Workforce Indicators
– U.S. Census Bureau LED OnTheMap
– Blueprint for talent development in regional
economies

29. RED Resources
• CareerOneStop www.careeronestop.org to link
to these applications and support
• Blueprint for talent development in
regional economies www.CareerOneStop.org/red
• Workforce3One www.workforce3one.org
especially for recorded webinars
• Census Bureau’s OnTheMap mailing list
http://lists.census.gov/mailman/listinfo/lehd‐onthemap
for news and user discussions

30. More Resources
• Find education and training by
occupation, institution or program
http://www.careerinfonet.org/edutraining/
• Information about certifications
http://www.careeronestop.org/EducationTrainin
g/Find/CertificationCourses.aspx

31. Meredith Anderson
Meredith.Anderson@state.mn.us
www.PositivelyMinnesota.com