AVAILABLE SKILLED WORKFORCE

In 2016, Boyette Strategic Advisors completed a nine month analysis of east Kentucky’s workforce to determine what skill sets existed among the labor pool, the availability of certified training to enhance those skills, and how these skills may be transferable to other industries.

What they found was a highly technically skilled workforce, adept at mechanical tasks, easily transferable to metalworking manufacturing and a work ethic second-to-none.

A Portrait of a Coal Miner

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Key Findings from EKY Works Study

  • The Eastern Kentucky workforce is rooted in the challenging coal industry which leads to a population with a strong work ethic, loyalty to employers and broad skill sets.

  • Unemployment data does not adequately tell the story of the Eastern Kentucky Workforce, which has a significant level of underemployed and discouraged workers that are not included in unemployment rates.

  • Employer satisfaction with the workforce is very high, with 80% of employers being satisfied or highly satisfied with their current workforce.

  • Wage costs are views as a value by employers, with many saying the cost of labor is inline with or less expensive compared to quality.

  • The coal industry workforce possesses a variety of transferable skills that are important to the metal, plastics, wood, and transportation equipment manufacturing sectors, as well as the transportation/warehousing industry.