Labor Market

Every three years, The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) produces a Laborshed for all communities in Iowa. A Laborshed is a supply-side labor availability study based upon current commuting patterns which are not restricted by political boundaries such as county or state lines. Further, the Laborshed study reports the workforce characteristics that are unique to a community's Laborshed area including: employment status; likeliness to change or accept employment; occupation and industry; job search resources used; current and desired wages and benefits; age; education; and distance willing to travel for work, among others.

The fundamental goal of any Laborshed analysis is to estimate the potential availability of workers and determine how well the surrounding geographical areas are able to provide a stable supply of workers to the central Laborshed node.

Prior to applying the survey results for the Siouxland Laborshed area, it was necessary to estimate the size of the potential labor force between the ages of 18 and 64 by ZIP code and survey zone. A variety of U.S. Census Bureau, BLS, Iowa Workforce Development, and private vendor publications and data sets are used to estimate the size and demographic details of the potential labor force of the Siouxland Laborshed area.