NOVA Workforce has published an innovative labor market dashboard to support the development of a strategic approach to meet the current workforce needs of regional employers. This new report will benefit economic development agencies, job seekers, and local employers by providing a snapshot of the regional labor market, ultimately putting the region on a path to remain economically competitive.
The inaugural report shows there were over 73,000 job opportunities posted in the northern Virginia region last quarter. Of these jobs, 10,000 were tied to healthcare and cybersecurity, two of the region’s most in-demand career fields. This report also highlights information related to the top hiring industries and sectors, the top hiring employers and a featured industry spotlight.
“NOVA is committed to producing graduates that can seamlessly plug into local jobs that benefit the regional economy,” said NOVA President Scott Ralls. “This report will give the regional community frequent access to rich data on the most sought-after positions in the region. It will be a one-stop shop for data on the number of positions available in various counties within the region, in various career fields, jobs advertised by specific local employers and also regional unemployment data.”
There are many reports provided by government agencies that describe job outlook, median pay and local career forecast. However, this report is specific to the northern Virginia region and provides a very detailed overview of the most relevant and urgent workforce needs in this area. The data will inform strategic planning efforts to build a talent pipeline to ensure businesses may continue to thrive in the regional economy.
“The data paints a clear picture. We need more skilled workers to fill these jobs. But the only way that will happen is if we start working together much more closely as an entire region”, says Todd Rowley, Northern Virginia Community College and Northern Virginia Workforce Board Chair.
“This report shows us that we are in a desperate state,” says Steve Partridge, Vice President, NOVA Workforce. “Based on the number of job openings coupled with the low unemployment rate, we need to immediately examine the skills required by these open jobs and identify a comprehensive approach to close the talent gap.”
The report is a combined effort of NOVA Workforce, the SkillSource Group, and the Alexandria-Arlington Regional Workforce Council.
The data is compiled using two market intelligence tools—JobsEQ by Chmura Economics and Burning Glass Technologies. This report is available on the NOVA Workforce website, in addition to other labor market information: http://www.nvcc.edu/workforce/research.html.