Cape Fear Talent

The regional skills survey was originally designed to capture data on hiring, skills, credentials and recruiting networks. It took on a new meaning in 2020 as the Cape Fear region struggles with high job losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers forward-looking data on what a potential jobs recovery will look like and guidance on how it will vary by industry sectors and job types. While the data shows that the Cape Fear region will continue to grow in the next three years, growth will likely be slower and be uneven, as certain industries grow faster than others.

SURVEY KEY THEMES

Businesses are looking to expand:

The pandemic and its economic fallout drove unemployment into double digits in the first half of 2020 and while many industries have been hit hard, there are some industries planning for growth. Of the companies surveyed, almost 56 percent expect to grow their workforce in the next three years, while 41 percent expect to maintain the same number of staff and only three percent anticipate downsizing. These responses offer optimism that businesses are looking toward economic recovery.

Companies planning for growth anticipate hiring between 9,600 and 17,500 new employees in the next three years. The largest hiring numbers are in Healthcare (5,600), Professional Services (2,600) and IT and Software (2,200).

High growth industries:

The projections for growth vary greatly across industries, offering evidence that the recovery from this economic crisis will be uneven. Companies in Life Science (86%), IT and Software (73%) and Logistics (71%) have the most optimistic outlook on hiring in the future, while those in healthcare project the most hires in the next three years.

Mixed demand for on-the-job training, degrees, and technical education:

Community college programs and professional certificates are the most sought-after credential in hiring, followed closely by four-year degrees. Most employers anticipate providing their current employees on-the-job training, with continuing education at universities and community colleges as a somewhat distant second choice.

Missing qualities and soft skills:

Across industries, employers report having the most difficulty hiring candidates who demonstrate responsibility and self-discipline, critical thinking and the ability to take initiative. When asked which industry-specific skills they value, employers across sectors ranked communication abilities at or near the top.

Improvement needed in opinion of talent pipeline:

Employers rated the quality of the local talent pipeline as 2.9 on average out of 5. While this evaluation is more positive than negative, it shows that most employers see room for improvement. Those in retail, healthcare and the public sector viewed the pipeline most positively, while the construction sector gave it the lowest quality rating.

Sourcing talent from networks:

Most employers surveyed still rely on friends and networks to find new employees. This tendency could impede efforts to hire diverse talent. Connecting highly-skilled and diverse talent to jobs will require a new approach to recruiting in the future.

Cape Fear Collective, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and over 50 regional partner organizations* collaborated with RTI International to conduct a workforce skills analysis. These partners helped recruit employers in our region to complete the survey. We appreciate their collaboration and look forward to working collectively in response to the data.

The survey was originally developed by Wake County Economic Development (a program of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce), the City of Raleigh and Capital Area Workforce Development Board in 2017. We could not have brought this survey to our region without their collaboration.

Please contact Meaghan Lewis at mlewis@capefearcollective.org if your organization is interested in a more detailed presentation of the findings.

*Cape Fear Collective attempted to capture each partner that supported this initiative. If your organization has been mistakenly omitted above, please contact Meaghan Lewis at mlewis@capefearcollective.org.