County Executives George Latimer of Westchester and MaryEllen Odell of Putnam, invite businesses, partner agencies, community organizations, and educational leaders to participate in the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board’s (WPWDB) 2022 Virtual Annual Meeting to be held on Thursday, September 29, 2022 from 9am to 10am.
This year’s meeting will feature a presentation and panel discussion around: Using Data to Connect the Dots. The program will feature Chris White, Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development, NYS Department of Labor. White will present and highlight the data points from the 2022 job seeker and employer survey. In total, 3,700 unique businesses responded to the survey, representing 16,150 business locations that employ nearly 540,000 workers (representing a median of 32 full or part-time individuals per business) which may include opportunities like climate change vacancy. 8,000 job seekers also responded to the survey.
Use the links below to review the survey results:
Job Seeker 2022 survey results > / Business 2022 survey results >
The survey revealed that 49% of businesses said that the lack of qualified candidates is the biggest obstacle to filling positions in 2022, about the same percentage as last year, but 42% said compensation was a barrier in 2022 while only 9% indicated it was a barrier in 2021. Forty percent of Job seekers, said they didn’t have the right degree, certificate, or credentials to obtain the job they wanted; another 33% said they had insufficient education or training to secure employment.
“We need to use the hard data to understand what’s really happening in the real world, not just assume we know why employers are having trouble filling positions and why many job seekers, at the same time, are still finding it tough to find work. We must educate our partners and work to strengthen the partnerships between business, education, and service providers within the Career Center Network to fill the gaps that are clearly demonstrated by these surveys,” stated Thom Kleiner, WPWDB Executive Director.
After the survey presentation, the panel will discuss how the data relates to local stakeholders, the insights and trends they’ve identified from an employer/educator/job seeker/student perspective and how they intend to use the information to strengthen the workforce.
Panelists include:
- Dr. Belinda Miles; President, Westchester Community College
- Dr. Marvin Krislov;President, Pace University
- Dr. Marsha Gordon,BCW Executive Director
- Michael Romita, WCA, Executive Director
Registration: This event will take place virtually using video conferencing technology. Anyone wishing to attend must pre-register at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wpwdb-2022-virtual-annual-meeting-tickets-403091807447 Instructions on how to log on and participate will be sent in advance of the meeting date.
