Click to download FY 2022-2023 Year Over Year Action Dashboard
Throughout the year, our Business Services team conducts more than 300 one-on-one interviews with regional employers through our InfoAction program. These interviews offer the opportunity for area business owners, CEOs, and top managers to share their valuable insights with Greater Dubuque Development staff to help us gain a deeper understanding of the regional economy and collect data which guides our work. Throughout the year, our Workforce Solutions team also conducts interviews with human resources professionals. These confidential interviews focus specifically on workforce—from recruitment efforts, to retention programs, to quality of workforce, and training initiatives.
As part of our commitment to provide tangible data to our partners, the wrap-up of our fiscal year includes providing a year-over-year comparison of key findings from these interviews for download.
Top Takeaways for FY 2022-2023 Include:
- Workforce continues to dominate the conversation. A new record-high, seventy-nine percent of companies cited having recruitment challenges (up from FY 21-22 at 73%).
- Workforce is cited as the clear, top barrier to growth for companies in this region. Air service and market size / population are also cited in the top three barriers to growth.
- Availability of labor recorded a record-low on the Workforce Index, scoring 3.19 (1 low, 7 high).
- Due to recruitment challenges and inability to fill or replace existing jobs, forty-nine percent of businesses plan to add net new jobs next year (versus sixty-six percent in FY 21-22).
- Businesses planning to expand and invest increased to fifty-two percent. Expansion and investment plans include new space, machinery or equipment, and / or technology and modernization (49% of businesses noted growth plans in FY 21-22).
- Sixty-six percent of businesses noted increasing sales levels, similar to 67% in FY 21-22. In FY 22-23, companies noted strong market share positions with 47% increasing or 51% stable. Only 2% noted decreasing market share.
- Thirty-seven percent of companies have a remote or hybrid workforce continuing the need to navigate workforce recruitment and work / office policies.
- Eighty-six percent of businesses noted regional IT infrastructure as adequate for their onsite needs. A growing number (14%) cited the need for better services for rural residential areas where remote work requires improved service at an employees’ personal residence versus the company’s primary office location.
- Air service (2.06), workforce availability (3.19), and quality of current labor pool (4.06) scored lowest of all the Index rankings (1 low, 7 high).
- Air service scored an all-time record low on the Public Services Index. Businesses noted that some meetings with customers, vendors, or employees have shifted to other locations due to the loss of commercial air service since September 2022.
- First responder services continue to receive strong marks. Fire (6.35), Ambulance (6.19), and Police (6.14) scored the highest of all areas on the Public Services Index.
- Streets, Roads, Traffic Control/Flow top the list as specific areas cited for needing improvements. Air service and the need to grow workforce / population follow closely behind.
- After quality-of-life initiatives, availability and affordability of housing ranks second for community priorities. Air service and childcare have also grown as needs cited by companies. Entertainment venues and health / wellness options continue to be frequently cited.
To learn more about our InfoAction program, contact Daniel McDonald, Director of Existing Business at danielm@greaterdubuque.org or 563-557-9049.
