Round Rock Chamber: Talent Wars: How COVID-19 Reshaped The Battle

Press release from the Round Rock Chamber:

October 11th, 2021

While attending this week’s International Economic Development Council’s 2021 Annual Conference, hundreds of industry experts across the globe gathered together to address both future opportunities and ongoing challenges facing the economic development industry.

While not a new topic to our profession, the conversations surrounding talent attraction, skilled labor and workforce availability looked somewhat different in our first in-person meeting since the height of COVID-19. With a current unemployment rate of less than 4%, this is also a topic that the Round Rock Chamber is monitoring very closely as it directly impacts our efforts to attract, grow and retain business.

In the latest report from Development Counselors International – Talent Wars: How COVID-19 Reshaped the Battle – more than 1,000 people were surveyed across the United States (ages 21-65) who moved to a new location at least 100 miles away from their previous residence since the start of the pandemic.

This study set out to better understand the “why” behind talent relocation decisions and identify potential emerging trends. Here are DCI’s five takeaways:

While it is impossible to fully project the lasting outcomes that COVID-19 will have long-term on talent attraction and the future of the workforce, research does tell us that talent is still hungry for opportunity, training and a better quality of life – all of which bode will for the future success of Round Rock and Central Texas.

Download the full report here.

This press release was produced by the Round Rock Chamber. The views expressed are the author's own.