Pages

Monday, November 4, 2019

Robertson County wants more white-collar jobs, launches survey to recruit businesses - Tennessean

The Robertson County Economic Development Board wants to hear from residents who commute to work as part of their effort to draw more businesses into the county.

The organization has launched a survey to learn which jobs and industries are taking locals outside Robertson County for work every day. They hope to be able to use the results of the survey to attract more white-collar jobs and businesses to Robertson County.

“There are 22,000 people who leave Robertson County to go to work every day, according to the most recent census,” Robertson County Economic Development Officer Margot Fosnes said. “We are hoping to hear from as many of them as possible.”

'Real information' for employers

Notices about the survey are being sent to residents via their water bills and an announcement also went out with student report cards via Robertson County Schools, Fosnes said.

About 400 responses had been recorded at the end of October, and the survey is expected to remain live through mid-November.

“For the last several years, there has been a lot of interest in the Nashville region from companies looking for headquarters, research spaces and back-office shared support services … We need objective data because we want to position Robertson County as an attractive option for those companies,” Fosnes said. 

“We know a lot of people are leaving the county for white-collar jobs, and we want to know what kind of education and experience and which industries are attracting them, so we can have real information to share with the site selectors who are working to bring projects here.”

The Robertson County Economic Development Board discussed and planned for the survey for about a year prior to its launch, Fosnes said.

“I kept talking to consultants at meetings and events, and they all said the same thing, ‘you can tell me all of these folks are driving outside the county for work, but you can’t prove it to me,’” she said. “In order to be in a good position for jobs, we have to prove it.”

Five minutes, invaluable feedback

In addition to paper notices, there have been social media announcements and online posts designed to make the community aware of the survey and boost participation. The link to the survey is currently pinned to the Facebook pages of the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Board.

It doesn’t take long to participate.

Most residents will spend less than five minutes answering questions.

The maximum amount of time spent is estimated at 5-8 minutes, depending on how respondents answer, Fosnes said.

“It’s really important for people to be honest because it will help our local communities,” she said. “People who leave to go to work are more likely to shop and eat meals outside the county. It’s not only an economic impact, but a quality of life impact. These people are less likely to come to school, community and church activities because they don’t have the time.

“If you’re working where you live, you have a lot more time for that, and it benefits the community as a whole.”

Fosnes also cited a growing commute time as an incentive for more local jobs.

“At best, it’s 45 minutes each way to Nashville every day,” she said. “We see a commute that’s getting worse, and we know it will continue to worsen as more people move to the region. Right now, there is no transit plan. Commutes from the north are relatively short as opposed to counties like Rutherford and Williamson, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re not.”

A link to the survey can be found at https://ift.tt/2Ngtqdd.

Reach Regional Editor Nicole Young at 615-306-3570 or nyoung@tennessean.com.

Let's block ads! (Why?)



"jobs" - Google News
November 04, 2019 at 10:57PM
https://ift.tt/32gDVS2

Robertson County wants more white-collar jobs, launches survey to recruit businesses - Tennessean
"jobs" - Google News
https://ift.tt/36m99ub
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

No comments:

Post a Comment