2022 Moore County Employer Survey Results

In March 2022, Partners in Progress, in partnership with the Moore County Chamber of Commerce, Moore County Schools, and Sandhills Community College, contracted with National Business Research Institute, a leading firm in survey research, to sponsor and conduct the first employer survey for Moore County.

The 2022 Moore County Employer Survey was distributed to 3,418 employers of all sizes in all industry sectors throughout Moore County to gather their feedback about 4 key areas:  1) education, skills, and training; 2) recruitment, retention, and hiring; 3) satisfaction with Moore County’s business environment; and 4) business outlook.

Employers completed the survey between June and July, and results were presented to the survey sponsors in September.

>> To view the Executive Summary of the results, click here.

>> To view the presentation of the results, click here.

We received 149 responses, achieving a 4% response rate and an 80% confidence level in the results. Approximately 86% of the respondents were businesses with less than 50 employees, and the industry sector of Professional, Scientific & Technical Services had the most respondents at 14%.  Additional service-oriented sectors including Health Care & Social Assistance and Other Services were not far behind, with each sector representing more than 10% of the respondents.

The survey responses revealed many positive insights from employers about doing business in Moore County, and the results also highlighted opportunities to provide more concerted community efforts to better support employers’ needs, particularly in the area of workforce development.

There were 4 main takeaways from the survey results:

1) Employers have a high level of satisfaction with the overall image (99%) and quality of life (98%) in Moore County. Furthermore, 95% are satisfied with Moore County as a place to operate a business, and 93% would recommend Moore County as a business location.

2) Overall, employers have a positive business outlook with 69% expecting growth in their sales / revenue and 60% expecting to expand their workforce over the next 12 months.

3) Moore County employers had difficulty finding qualified applicants to fill open positions in the last 12 months, echoing a trend currently being seen across the country. Nearly 70% of respondents indicated that their new hires needed additional skills training.

4) Only a small percentage of employers are utilizing the workforce development programs offered through Moore County Schools (11%) and Sandhills Community College (26%).

The Moore County Chamber of Commerce currently facilitates a Workforce Development group that periodically brings together employers and education providers. However, the survey revealed significant opportunities for more collaboration not only with local educational institutions to focus on generating career interest and developing skills to supply the talent pipeline, but also with employers to make them more aware of and encourage more participation in the workforce development programs already offered through the public school system and community college.

Partners in Progress, Moore County Chamber, Moore County Schools, and Sandhills Community College are continuing to work closely to analyze the survey results more extensively, and next steps include identifying specific actions that these organizations and other community partners can take to most effectively address the needs Moore County’s employers expressed in the survey.