Destination Northland | A Productive Workforce

Metropolitan Kansas City consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top regions in terms of workforce quality. In the past few years, sources ranging from Fortune magazine to the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau all have cited the area for its outstanding workforce quality.

The specifics of these studies include documented levels of high productivity and low absenteeism. Often labeled as the “Midwestern work ethic,” these traits are more than buzzwords. Kansas City-area workers rank far below comparable cities in average workdays lost due to illness in a recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics.

The best test, however, may be in the marketplace. Several large employers have made significant commitments in the area because of workforce productivity. Ford Motor Company, for example, recently invested more than $500 million in their Clay County plant, selecting it as the primary production center for new vehicles. One of the key reasons they noted was the productivity of the plant’s workforce.

This enviable position is partly a result of geography and history. Clay and Platte counties have a rural background, where work and employment are valued. Neighboring Buchanan and Clinton counties share these traits and, with slightly higher unemployment averages and a good highway network, many of these more rural workers are willing to commute to jobs in the more urban, southern counties. This larger employment pool is a significant factor for many area employers.

Statistically, the Clay County and Platte County labor force accounts for approximately 160,154 of the estimated 631,600 workers in metropolitan Kansas City. Unemployment statistics in February 2005 placed Clay at 4.6 percent and Platte at 4.5 percent, some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state and well below the metro average of 5.7 percent.

Most Northland workers find employment in the immediate area, or just across the Missouri River in downtown Kansas City. Average commute times range from 19 to 28 minutes, considerably shorter than surrounding areas. For outlying residents, the region’s interstate and highway network mean relatively short travel times as well.

The largest age group in the workforce, comprising 26 percent of the total workforce, is age 35 to 44 followed closely by the 25-to-34 age group with 23 percent and 45-to-54 at 22 percent. The 55-to-64 age group fills only 11 percent of total jobs here, while the 65-to-99 age group fills a small-but-growing three percent.

A variety of vocational training programs are available. The Business and Technology College, Maple Woods Community College, William Jewell College and Park University all offer programs for individual workers and employers.

Economic development officials in Clay and Platte counties often brag about the quality of their workforce. It's a boast that can easily be supported with facts.

No less a source than Fortune magazine rated Kansas City Number One in access to a quality labor force. Fortune was especially impressed with the area's "Midwestern values" and a measurable devotion to work that brings dividends to area employers.

This editorial perspective is backed by facts. In a recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics, workers in Kansas City were found to have lost the fewest days to illness or injury of any of the 33 major metropolitan areas studied. Kansas City area workers tallied just 277 sick days per 100 workers. This loss was approximately half that of the national average and nearly one-fourth the size of some other major cities.

The reasons for this phenomenal loyalty to work are many, but many analysts give a lot of the credit to the region's rural roots. Indeed, many area inhabitants still consider themselves country residents and place a high value on so-called rural values. Indeed, many of the Northland's workers actually live in the country, or something pretty close to it. Even more have parents who were raised and lived in decidedly rural settings. Kansas City and Northland employers have found that they really do bring a serious work ethic to the job.

The availability of these workers is also a positive, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. Of the 146,670 in the Northland labor pool, more than 31,455 (10 percent) said they were actively seeking new employment opportunities. Another 115,215 (36 percent) said they would consider new employment for the right opportunity.

Although area workers may bring old-fashioned values, their education is up to date. Sixty-nine percent of the available labor pool have some college education and 95 percent have a high school diploma or more.

When employee training is needed, the area's educational resources can help. The Metropolitan Community Colleges operate Maple Woods Campus near the Northland's center. The nearby Business and Technology College is geared to business related programs, as is Sanford-Brown College in North Kansas City. In Platte City, the Northland Career Center works closely with businesses to provide training for the region's workforce at the secondary and post-secondary level. The center's Customized Training and Develop-ment Assistant Program provides local industries in-house assessment and training resources to keep their employees competent and updated. William Jewell College and Park University also offer job-related training programs.

On a much larger scale, Missouri was recently listed among the top 15 states for exceptional worker-training programs. Missouri scored well because it offers customized training programs and often provides subsidies for employers and employees alike. Both the Clay and Platte County Economic Development Councils are among those providing local assistance for accessing these and other employee-related programs. Another factor that is easy to overlook in the Northland's workforce picture is the excellent interstate highway network that connects Clay and Platte counties to the rest of the metropolitan area and with rural areas surrounding the metropolitan area. Because commute times are remarkably low by the standards of other metropolitan areas, workers can be recruited from adjacent counties almost as easily as those who live a few miles away.

Another factor that has been especially noted by companies that have transferred employees is the Northland's high quality of life and low cost of living. Companies locating to the Northland usually have no problem convincing existing employees to relocate, especially after they have paid a visit and compared home prices and lifestyle quality.

These last factors are easy to overlook but highly touted among companies and employers who have experienced them. Although the Northland's ability to provide workers is proven, it is increasingly valued as a new home by firms that are moving to the area or transferring staff from other areas.