Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Hurricane Katrina has had a wide-reaching impact on communities across the Gulf Coast. As a region directly impacted by the natural disaster, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber wanted a better understanding of how post-Katrina pressures were impacting the availability, quality and cost of their workforce. The Chamber hired WDG and their partner Younger Associates to complete a comprehensive labor market assessment for the nine-parish metro area. Completing this assessment and better understanding their assets and challenges would help position the Baton Rouge area to compete in the global economy for the best economic development opportunities and the highest-level jobs. In conjunction with Younger Associates, we were able to document the current strengths and weaknesses of the workforce, quantify labor supply and quality, quantify hidden labor resources, define emerging employment trends and economic opportunities and, guide training providers in preparing the workforce for existing and emerging employment opportunities. This was accomplished through a unique system of primary and secondary research consisting of one-on-one interviews with employers and residents, an employer survey and extensive secondary data collection and analysis.