Guilford County Talent & Workplace Survey

2023 Report

Letter from Action Greensboro For more than twenty years, Action Greensboro has responded to Greensboro’s greatest challenges and opportunities by leveraging the collective thought leadership and financial support from our local philanthropic sector. Through this work, transformational investments have been made in Greensboro’s center city, public education system, entrepreneurial ecosystem and most recently, strategic investments in the cradle to career pipeline.

As our community emerges from the economic turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we believed it was time for a checkin to understand the landscape of our workplaces, staffing and human relations challenges, skillset needs and connectivity to local resources. Thank you to the 600+ respondents who participated in the survey and provided critical information.

With this understanding, we can design (and perhaps redesign!) workforce and talent development systems and programs, strengthen our workplaces and better the educational pipeline for generations of economic growth.

In order to benchmark our community’s progress, Action Greensboro’s Talent and Workplace Survey was designed to be conducted annually. As Greensboro and Guilford County’s existing businesses continue to grow, new employers arrive and technical skillset needs rapidly evolve, this annual check-in will assist in better meeting talent and workplace demands.

We all want our community to be a great place to live and work for everyone. Let’s work together to leverage our tremendous assets and opportunities.

Cecelia Thompson Executive Director Action Greensboro

Purpose

Objectives

The Action Greensboro Talent & Workplace Survey Report is offered as a trusted source of data on industry, talent and workplace trends. The report provides the outlook and perspective of hiring organizations operating in Guilford County. The online survey captures insights from more than 600 respondents on the industry and talent landscape of the Triad.

•

The Guilford County Talent and Workplace Survey seeks to inform the efforts of community stakeholders, policymakers and employers as we look to strengthen our talent pipeline.

• • •

Better understand Guilford County’s 2023 postpandemic workplace landscape Better understand the hiring needs of our region’s employers Better understand the essential skills for today’s local workforce Inform and connect regional stakeholders and policymakers with current talent and workplace information

Table of Contents Key Findings............................................................................. 1 Talent Workplace Outlook About Survey Respondents........................................................ 2 Current Talent..........................................................................5 Employee Turnover Generations in the Workplace Workplace Landscape............................................................... 7 Benefits Upskilling and Career Mobility Flexible Work Internships Corporate Community Involvement Talent Attraction and Selection................................................. 10 Target Candidate Market Recruiting Budget, Timeframe and Candidate Quality Essential Skills Today’s Workplace Challenges...................................................12 Summary and Future Considerations..........................................13 Responding Organizations........................................................14

Key Findings Talent

Outlook Guilford companies have an average annual turnover rate of 20%. The top three drivers of turnover are employees finding other roles, involuntary layoffs and low pay.

Pay rate tops the list for reasons a candidate declines a job offer.

Career growth and upward mobility top the list of desired features for Guilford County job seekers.

A majority of responding organizations experienced positive annual growth last year.

Gen X and Millennial talent represent the majority of local employees.

39% of new hires hold either a college or university degree.

The average number of jobs that organizations fill annually is 38.

Workplace The majority of respondents indicate that their staff is working fully in person.

The top benefits offered by Guilford County employers include health insurance, paid time off and retirement benefits with company matching.

40% of companies offer formal internships.

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Respondents identified these most essential skills for today’s new hires are: 1.

Work Ethic 2.

Teamwork 3.

Verbal Communication

Respondents indicated that the most difficult skills to find today in new hires include: 1.

Problem Solving 2.

Analytical Thinking 3.

Leadership 4.

Adaptability 5.

Work Ethic

About Survey Respondents Participating respondents represented both for-profit

600+ businesses and organizations participated

Nonprofit

26%

Professional Services

19%

Manufacturing

10%

Financial Services/Insurance

7%

Healthcare

6%

Retail/Restaurants

6%

Creative Arts/Design

2%

Automotive

2%

Information Technology/ Software

2%

Distribution & Logistics

2%

Chemicals/Advanced Materials

1%

Food Processing

1%

Aerospace Manufacturing

1%

Aviation/Airport Services

1%

Furniture

1%

Bioscience

0% 0%

10%

20%

30%

(35%) and not-for-profit (65%) entities.

67%

of respondents’ organizations are headquartered in Guilford County

75%

of respondents represent organizations with less than 250 employees in Guilford County.

82%

of respondents participated in a hiring process in the last 12 months.

40%

2

top respondent management profiles

20%

36%

Top Management (CEO, CFO, COO, Founding Member, Owner) Mid-Level Leader or Manager (Department Head, Director, Area Manager)

44%

HR Manager/Director/Senior Business Partner

Respondent’s Business/Organization Profile <10 Employees

29%

<10 Employees

21%

10-49 Employees

24%

10-49 Employees

16%

50-249 Employees

22%

50-249 Employees

16%

250-1000 Employees

11%

250-1000 Employees

16%

1000+ Employees

14%

1000+ Employees

31%

0%

10%

20%

30%

0%

40%

Organizational Size in Guilford County

10%

20%

30%

40%

Company size globally

Companies with local headquarters

33%

Guilford County Elsewhere

67% Of responding organizations headquartered in Guilford County, 87% are nonprofits, 77% are healthcare organizations, 28% are financial institutions, 55% are manufacturing organizations

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1-25K

2%

0-100K

8%

25-100K

100K-1M

13%

100-250K

7%

1-5M

18%

250K-1M

11%

5-25M

18%

1M-5M

31%

Over 25M

43%

More than 5M

44%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Annual Revenue of For-Profit Responding Organizations

58%

5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Average Operating Budget of NonProfit Responding Organizations

Responding Organizations reported an average of 58% growth over the past 12 months.

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Current Talent 79% of the respondents’ workforce is permanent staff, 21% is temporary. Nonprofit and distribution/logistics organizations indicate the highest rates of temporary employees.

Employee Turnover Guilford County organizations average a 20% turnover rate, meaning for every 10 employees 2 left the company.

Manufacturing, professional services and financial services show the highest rates of turnover among for-profit sectors.

66% of respondents use a formal exit interview process to help understand turnover.

The most cited reasons for employee turnover are: • Found a Position Elsewhere • Involuntary Turnover • Low Pay • Family Reasons • Other *retirement was frequently noted in this category Excluding “Found a Position Elsewhere” and “Involuntary Turnover” the following reasons for turnover stand out among industry sectors.

• The top reasons for turnover within nonprofits, including education, healthcare and government, were low pay (37%), no opportunity to advance (28%), burnout (23%) and family reasons (22%).

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Top reasons for turnover within professional services, including financial services, insurance, information technology, were family reasons (28%), issues with fit (16%) and low pay (13%).

•

Top reasons for turnover within manufacturing, including aerospace, automotive, aviation, bioscience, chemicals and advanced materials, distribution and logistics and food processing, were low pay (21%), family reasons (16%), issues with fit (14%) and lack of flexibility/work life balance (12%).

Efforts to reduce turnover include: Top Five Efforts to Reduce Turnover 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Improving Training and Employee Development

Offering Better Pay

Improving Workplace Culture

Improving Onboarding

Improving Work-life Balance

Generations in the Workplace Gen X (born between 1965-1980) employees currently occupy the largest number of roles in the Guilford County workforce, followed by Millennials (born 1981-1996). The number of GenZ employees is approaching that of Baby Boomers.

Industries with the largest number of Gen Z employees are hospitality (41%), retail (29%), food processing (27%), recruiting (23%) and automotive (22%).

Industries with the largest boomer population were distribution and logistics (37%), education (36%) and real estate (31%).

10,000 baby boomers

turn 65 each day, About and the entire generation is expected to reach retirement age by 2030.

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Workplace Landscape Benefits The most offered employee benefits provided by companies include Health, Dental, Paid Time Off, Vision and Retirement benefits.

The least offered benefits include immigration sponsorship for families (3%), on-site childcare (4%), student loan debt relief (6%), immigration sponsorship for the employee (11%) and recharge days (12%).

Most Frequently Offered Employee Benefits

90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Health Benefits

Dental Benefits

Millennial workers now represent more than Baby Boomers in Guilford County’s workforce. However, only 6% of local companies offer student loan debt relief as a benefit. Industries with the highest percentage of student loan relief were aerospace (50%) and healthcare (43%).

PTO

Vision Benefits

Retirement Benefits/ Matching

Bonuses/ Training Published Physical Incentives Opportunitites Mission Office and Value Environment Statements

While only 45% of respondents offer pay for continuing education, several industries stood out in this category. Aerospace (100%), Chemicals and Advanced Materials (100%), Education (78%), Food Processing (75%), Government (75%) and Financial Services (73%).

Health Spending Account

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Gen Z employees need to be provided support, freedom and flexibility.

Young Professional Friendly Employee Benefits Offered Locally Pay Off Student Pay For Onboarding Loan Debt Higher Education/ Continuing Education

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Internal Training Opportunities

Formal Mentoring

Remote Work

Hybrid Work

Aerospace Manufacturing

7%

1%

1%

1%

0%

0%

1%

Automotive

0%

2%

1%

2%

3%

1%

0%

Aviation/Airport Services

7%

3%

2%

2%

3%

4%

3%

Chemicals/Advanced Materials

0%

3%

2%

1%

0%

1%

2%

Creative Arts/Design

0%

1%

1%

2%

4%

4%

2%

Distribution and Logistics

0%

2%

3%

2%

3%

0%

2%

Financial Services/Insurance

20%

12%

10%

10%

14%

14%

16%

Food Processing

0%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

Healthcare

20%

5%

4%

4%

3%

3%

3%

Information Technology/Software

0%

2%

2%

2%

3%

1%

2%

Manufacturing

27%

23%

16%

17%

13%

6%

10%

Professional Services

0%

20%

21%

22%

30%

28%

22%

Retail/Restaurants

0%

9%

7%

7%

4%

6%

3%

Nonprofit

20%

14%

28%

27%

19%

30%

34%

Family Friendly Workplace Benefits Provided Locally Wellness Room

Parental Leave Paid

Childcare Benefits

Childcare On-site

Family Leave (e.g., Elder Care)

Flex-time (e.g., Schedule)

Aerospace Manufacturing

2%

0%

3%

0%

1%

1%

Automotive

0%

1%

0%

0%

1%

1%

Aviation/Airport Services

5%

2%

5%

0%

3%

2%

Chemicals/Advanced Materials

3%

3%

0%

0%

2%

2%

Creative Arts/Design

0%

2%

0%

0%

0%

4%

Distribution and Logistics

0%

2%

0%

0%

3%

2%

Financial Services/Insurance

17%

15%

14%

0%

14%

11%

Food Processing

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

1%

Healthcare

3%

2%

5%

11%

3%

3%

Information Technology/Software

2%

1%

3%

0%

1%

2%

Manufacturing

20%

12%

19%

22%

15%

11%

Professional Services

18%

25%

16%

0%

19%

22%

Retail/Restaurants

8%

6%

8%

0%

8%

5%

Nonprofit

22%

30%

27%

67%

30%

34%

Upskilling and internal workplace mobility On average, organizations are filling 32% of their open roles with internal promotions and hires.

96% of responding organizations provide some internal or external opportunity for employee training and skill development.

Most Critical Skill Development Needed for Today’s Workforce 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Communication/ Feedback and Listening

Design Thinking/ Innovative Problem Solving

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Management

Self Awareness

A majority of respondents indicate that their annual internal training budget is less than $10,000.

The average organization spent $1,280 per employee on workplace learning in 2021, according to the Association for Talent Development’s 2022 State of the Industry report. (www.td.org/press-release/atd-research-spending-on-employee-training-remains-strong)

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Workplace and Schedules 72% of workplaces are full-time in person, while 21% of workplaces are hybrid (work partly from an office and partly from home). Of those, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the days of the week most often worked in the office. Only 7% of organizations are fully remote.

More than 60% of respondents are offering full-time employees some type of flexible work schedule (employees that have flexibility for their own schedule and workplace location). On average those full-time employees working a flexible schedule are working 36 hours a week.

When broken down by industry, few differences appear.

• Aerospace, automotive, aviation and airport services, chemical and advanced materials, distribution and logistics, food processing, furniture and manufacturing spend an average of 36 hours per week in the office • Healthcare and biosciences: 36 hours per week in the office • Professional services, Informational Technology, Finance and Insurance: 35 hours per week in the office • Nonprofit and arts : 34 hours per week in the office • Retail and restaurants : 36 hours per week in the office

Internships

59% of respondents indicate that they hire interns on a regular or as needed basis with the majority of interns working in the summer.

In a recent National Association of Colleges and Employers poll, four out of five employers said their internship program provided the best return on investment as a recruiting strategy, giving them the best means for identifying and building relationships with potential employees.

Corporate Community Involvement A majority of respondents believe their organization is either “somewhat” or “highly connected” to the local community.

How are Organizations Engaging with Greensboro Community 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Corporate/ Charitable Giving

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Board Leadership

Corporate Volunteer Activities

Paid Time for Volunteering

Partnership with Guilford County

Paid Time for Voting

Advocacy

Mentoring

Talent Attraction and Selection Target Candidate Market

Where companies are recruiting by geography: • 80% of respondents recruit for open roles in Greensboro • 60% recruit across the State of North Carolina • 36% recruit nationally • 8% recruit globally

How Employers are Sourcing New Hires 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Word of Mouth

Job Aggregator Websites

Social Media

Greensboro’s Universities and Colleges

Universities and Colleges Outside of Greensboro

Recruiting Budget, Timeframe and Candidate Quality On average, respondents spend 4% of their annual operating budget on talent attraction and recruitment. Industries with the largest recruitment budgets are manufacturing including aerospace, automotive, aviation, bioscience, chemicals and advanced materials, distribution and logistics and food processing at 13% and professional services, including financial services, insurance, information technology at 11%.

40% of respondents indicate it takes 1-2 months to hire for Guilford County positions.

Over the last year, the average offer acceptance rate was 74%.

• • •

62% of respondents indicate pay rate was the reason a candidate declined their offer.

2% of respondents indicated that Guilford County’s community amenities were a factor in declining a job offer.

Career growth and upward mobility top the list of desired features for Guilford County job seekers.

10

OK

Somewhat High

32%

Somewhat Low

16%

Excellent!

Terrible!

College/University

39%

High School Diploma

27%

Some College/University

18%

Master’s Degree

7%

Associate Degree

5%

40%

11%

Industry Certifications

3%

Professional License

1%

Doctoral Degree

0%

1% 0%

10%

20%

30%

0%

40%

Employers find the quality of their new hires to be:

10%

20%

30%

40%

These options best describe the educational level of a typical Guilford County hire:

Essential Skills The most essential skills for new hires are: Professionalism/Work Ethic Teamwork/Collaboration Verbal Communication Skills Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Ability/Adaptability/Resilience Interpersonal/Relationship Building Organization/Time Management Logical/Analytical Thinking Emotional Intelligence

!

Written Communication Skills Cultural Intelligence Leadership/Personal Growth Creativity/Innovation Negotiating/Conflict Management Presenting/Persuading (Weighted Average) 0

11

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

The most difficult skills to find in new hires: Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Logical/Analytical Thinking Leadership/Personal Growth Ability/Adaptability/Resilience Professionalism/Work Ethic Organization/Time Management Negotiating/Conflict Management Emotional Intelligence Cultural Intelligence Presenting/Persuading Creativity/Innovation Written Communication Skills Interpersonal/Relationship Building Teamwork/Collaboration Verbal Communication Skills (Weighted Average) 2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8

2.9

3

3.1

Today’s Workplace Challenges Greatest challenge as a company: Hiring, growth, costs, retention, economy, growing awareness of our business, connecting with customers.

Most pressing talent and workplace challenges: Finding experienced talent, resources to pay competitively, able to self-manage, finding workers who know how to work with their hands, finding talent who want to work in person versus hybrid, training employees to work collaboratively among different generations.

Chronically unfilled positions: Maintenance, engineers, drivers, operators, managers, housekeepers, sales, productions, accounting/finance, mechanics, technicians.

Most pressing needs to find or upskill talent: Continue to focus on technical jobs/ trades, connect us with local universities, attract more highly trained accredited young professionals back to this area, training on conflict resolution and effective networking, amplify opportunities for good jobs to potential employees.

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Future Considerations

1 2 3 4 5 13

58% of respondents expect business growth despite current labor shortages and inflation.

North Carolina and the Triad are poised for tremendous economic growth and talent, and workforce development plays a critical role. Our community has invested significantly in institutions, programs, and systems to enhance the cradle-to-career pipeline of talent to fill today’s jobs and those of the future. Increased employer engagement in local talent development programs will strengthen the talent pipeline for employers and better the future of our youth.

Problem solving and critical thinking are ranked highest in essential skills needed in the workplace and also high in difficulty to find in candidates. Our community should continue to invest in programs to strengthen essential workforce skills. Local business investment in internal training lags behind the national average. Workplace training and upskilling in essential skills will increase internal upward mobility and talent retention. This is a win-win for our local employees and the Greensboro community.

The majority of employers are relying on word of mouth for talent recruitment, followed by national online job boards and social media. Guilford County has top ranked programs within Guilford Technical Community College and our eight four-year universities. Yet, more than 50% of employers are not recruiting from these institutions and many are not aware of existing workforce development programs. Strengthening awareness and connection between businesses and our local education resources will open doors to less-connected college students, create a more accessible pathway to local employment and deepen our workforce base.

Respondents indicated that low pay and family reasons are among the top drivers of employee turnover. As generations in our workplaces continue to change, so do the benefits that are most valuable to job applicants. Competitive benefits can increase employee retention and help with talent attraction. Employee support, freedom and flexibility are most valuable to new generations in the workplace. Some examples include parental leave, predictable scheduling and hybrid work. Our workforce will invest more in their jobs and community if they are provided the support needed to thrive.

As more affordable mid-sized communities across the nation become attractive to young talent, it is increasingly important for business to play a role in local community development. While talent consistently makes relocation decisions based on salary and the city’s cost of living, a community’s quality of life is increasingly a top motivator.

Greensboro and Guilford County have made extraordinary strides in the community to grow our center city, build and remodel public schools and expand our award-winning parks and trails system. A majority of survey respondents believe their organization is either “somewhat” or “highly connected” to the local community. Our community will attract more talent with greater investment in corporate charitable giving, increased voter turnout and partnerships with Guilford County

Thank you to all of our survey participants, including the following who agreed to be published.

1st Aide Restoration, Inc. 33 & Elm Coffee House ABCO AUTOMATION INC. Adams Electric Company Adecco Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education Allegacy Federal Credit Union ALT HR Partners American Signs Arch MI Assured Partners AuthoraCare Collective Autotrends B.R.I.D.G.E.S, LTD Baltek, Inc/3A Composites Berico Berkshire Corporation Bernard Robinson & Company, LLP Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont Biscuitville FRESH SOUTHERN Black Lamb Development Corporation Blue Ridge Companies Bonset America Corporation Boulton Creative Brady Services BRIDGES, LTD Brown Investment Properties C2 Contractors, LLC Captivate Media Carlton Scale CBT Counseling Centers Center for Creative Leadership Charles Aris Children and Families First City of Greensboro Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro Core Technology Molding Corp.

CPR 4 Your Heart & AED Safety Solutions, LLC CRG Cross Company Deep Roots Market Cooperative Double Hung Downtown Greensboro Inc

Eastern Music Festival, Inc. Elaka Treats Family Service of the Piedmont Fellowship Hall First Bank Forge Greensboro Four Oaks Insurance Agency Four Saints Brewing Company Go Green Plumbing, Heating and Air Goodwill Industries of Central NC Graham Personnel Services Greensboro Cerebral Palsy Association Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau Greensboro Montessori School Greensboro Police Department GTCC Guerrilla RF Guilford County Guilford County Schools Guilford Technical Community College GuilfordWorks Workforce Development Board Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro, Inc HAECO Americas Helps Education Fund HICAPS. Inc. High Point Discovered High Point LEAP High Point Tire & Automotive Honda Aircraft Company Hudson Financial Services Industries Of The Blind JD Financial Group and Associates Inc jim gallucci sculptor ltd.

Karma Contracting Kellin Foundation Kingdom Builders Associates Kontoor Brands Landmark Builders M. G. Newell Corporation Mickey Truck Bodies Morrisette Packaging, Inc. Mother Murphy’s Laboratories North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina for Community and Justice

NXT Level Construction LLC O’Neal Manufacturing Services Old North State Council Boy Scouts of America Old North State Trust Pace Parker Hannifin Pathways Career Testing Phillips Management Group Pinnacle Financial Partners ProAmpac Procter & Gamble Pulmonix, LLC Qualified Staffing Radwell International Ready for School, Ready for Life Replacements, Ltd. RH CPAs Richardson Properties RLF Communications ROCS Savor the Moment, LLC Schell Bray PLLC Sharpe Pursuits Inc. Sheraton Greensboro shift_ed Smith Leonard Smoothie King Spears Family YMCA St. Johns Packaging (USA) LLC STITCH Design Shop The Brooks Group Thomas Built Buses Thomas Enterprises of Greensboro Inc Torres Transformations TowneBank Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine Inc. Triad City Beat Tru by Hilton United Piedmont Center for Educational Excellence United Way of Greater Greensboro University of North Carolina at Greensboro VanderVeen Photographers Xtern Software YMCA Camp Weaver

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Thank you to the local organizations who supported survey distribution:

Business High Point City of Greensboro MWBE Office East Greensboro Now Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Guilford Nonprofit Consortium Guilford Merchants Association Human Resources Management Association of Greensboro (HRMAG) Leadership Greensboro East Greensboro Now

Thank you to our research contributors:

Madelynn Stackhouse, Stackhouse Management Solutions Bret Mazei, Community Volunteer

Lead Writers:

Bramley Crisco Director of Talent Development Action Greensboro Sarah McGuire Director of synerG Young Professionals Action Greensboro Cecelia Thompson Executive Director Action Greensboro

Special Thanks to Action Greensboro’s Supporting Foundations: The Cemala Foundation The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro The Cone Health Foundation The Edward M. Armfield, Sr. Foundation The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation The Stanley & Dorothy Frank Family Foundation The Tannenbaum Sternberger Foundation The Phillips Foundation

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Get Engaged in Action Greensboro’s Talent Programs!

Campus Greensboro campusgreensboro.org

Greensboro’s ability to grow, retain and attract a well-educated and skilled workforce is essential in today’s knowledge-based economy. Campus Greensboro improves connections between talented college students and our business and leadership community, and works to prepare these students for the 21st century workforce.

For more information, contact Jay Cannon, Campus Greensboro Student Engagement Manager, at jcannon@actiongreensboro.org

synerG Young Professionals synerG.org

synerG Young Professionals is a thriving network that gives the city’s under-40 community opportunities to strengthen their leadership skills, promote diversity and accessibility, and shape the future of Greensboro for the better.

For more information, contact Sarah McGuire, synerG Young Professionals Director, at smcguire@actiongreensboro.org

Guilford Talent and Workforce Guide

greensboro.org/workforce

The Guilford County Talent and Workforce guide provides a directory of area resources that support our labor market at all stages of employee development. Use it to grow your team or find ways to more deeply engage the workforce you already have. Each organization includes a direct contact to deliver help quickly and answer any questions you may have.

For more information, contact Megan Mabry, VP of Marketing and Communications, Chamber of Commerce at mmabry@greensboro.org

For other talent development questions and solutions, contact Bramley Crisco, Director of Talent Development, at bcrisco@actiongreensboro.org

Boomerang Greensboro Boomeranggso.com

Boomerang Greensboro is a creative and ambitious campaign aimed at recruiting young professionals back home to live in Greensboro. Boomerangs are people who grew up in Greensboro or attended a local college and then moved back after spending time away.

For more information, contact Cecelia Thompson, Executive Director of Action Greensboro, at cthompson@actiongreensboro.org

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ActionGreensboro.org