Bolstering Workforce

1. Bolstering Workforce Adapting to Changing Economic Landscapes

2. Speakers • Dr. Louise Comfort • Director, Center for Disaster Management • Michael Fox • Executive Director, Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation • Steven Perdia • General Manager, Strategy and Planning, Canterbury Development Corporation

3. Dr. Louise Comfort • Director, Center for Disaster Management, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA • Ph.D., Yale • Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration • Author of six books, including: • Designing Resilience: Preparing for Extreme Events • Mega-Crises: Understanding the Prospects, Nature, Characteristics and the Effects of Cataclysmic Events

4. The Impact of Extreme Events on Business Organizations Louise K. Comfort and Research Staff, Center for Disaster Management, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 15260 Email: comfort@gspia.pitt.edu

5. Building Resilience to Extreme Events • Challengeto businesses: cost, losses, down time • Superstorm Sandy, 2012: $72 billion in estimated losses; second only to Katrina, est. $135 billion • Directly affected 60 million people in 24 states • Economic losses estimated at $66 billion, NY, NJ • Storm caused cascading effects, disrupted businesses, jobs lost, altered local economies

6. RISK IS INCREASING • As society becomes more interconnected, losses increase • Transportation, communication, energy, water, waste water distribution systems operate as interdependent services • If one service is disrupted, demand increases on others; threat is compounded by aging infrastructure • Businesses most affected by extreme events, yet, make least investment in risk reduction, preparedness

7. Innovative Approaches • Regions exposed to continuing risk have sought practical measures of coping with hazards • National Association of Workforce Boards sought to identify measures that enabled businesses to build resilient operations • CDM Study produced five sets of findings: • Key provisions, Workforce Investment Act 1998, for disasters • Key strategies used by other regions exposed to risk • Characterized impact of Sandy on businesses, response to storm • Areas of strength, weakness in response operations • Recommendations: reducing consequences of disaster events

8. Workforce Investment Act (WIA) • WIA intended to support communities in economic dislocation • WI Board interprets disaster impact as economic dislocation • WIA funds can be accessed, if federal disaster is declared • Under WIA, workers can be hired to: • Provide information about jobs to those who lost their jobs • Participate in training programs for new jobs • Assist local community in developing coordinated response to event • Assist local community in obtaining state assistance for jobs

9. WIA in Practice • Before an event • Assess existing risk accurately • Understand structure of WIA system, its provisions, requirements • Assist organizations in developing business continuity plans • During an event • Assess status of WIB members, their safety, immediate needs • Use knowledge base of operations, developed prior to event • Design alternative strategies for maintaining operations • Mobilization for workforce recovery • Implement work process for recovery • Manage basic functions of the recovery process

10. Major Management Issues • Design, enable communication flow, set up tracking system • Manage information • Create partnerships • Develop funding sources • Map funding sources, create funding strategies • Address recurring workforce recovery issues: housing, transportation, utilities, critical supplies • Design and implement business continuity plans, review, reflect, and redesign business in changed environment

11. Impact of Sandy on Workforce

13. The Emergency Response System following Sandy

14. Figure 2. Distribution of organizations engaged in response operations by jurisdiction and source of funding. Center pie-primary organizations; outer pie-secondary organizations.

15. Figure 3. Network map of Sandy response system, October 28-November 3, 2012. Symbols sized by number of transactions; shapes by funding source; color by jurisdiction.

16. Figure 4. Frequency of actions in emergency operations by source of funding and week in response and recovery, October 28, 2012-February 11, 2013.

18. Summary of findings regarding the impact of Sandy on business organizations • 55.1% of organizations engaged in response operations following SuperstormSandy are business organizations • 54% of business organizations interacted w/ nonprofits, but donated funds, products; did not engage in direct operations • National organizations were most active during response operations • Business organizations played an important role in Sandy recovery operations, but were active only for short periods

19. Conclusions and recommendations for action • WIA 1998 represents opportunity for innovation, change, and renewal in sustainable workforce development • Workforce investment systems constitute an organizational infrastructure that connects public, private, and nonprofit organizations in disaster recovery • Lack of preparedness leads to escalation of damage • Designing an interactive information infrastructure links workforce investment with sustainable disaster management • Building community resilience creates a continuing process of adaptive learning and action for… • …. all organizations – public, private, and nonprofit – in regions exposed to risk.

20. Acknowledgments • I acknowledge, with thanks, the graduate student staff at the Center for Disaster Management: B. Chalfant, J. E. Song, J. Yeo, Mengyao Chen, Brian Colella for assistance with analysis, graphics. • Thanks and appreciation to Ronald Painter and Josh Copus, National Association of Workforce Boards, Washington, DC, for assistance in providing access to information and references. • Warm thanks to the experienced managers who participated in the interviews and generously gave their time and insights.

21. Michael Fox • Executive Director, Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation, Plainview, TX • 30 years in radio broadcasting • Commercial loan officer, Wells Fargo Bank

22. Effective responses to the Cargill closure in Plainview, TX Michael Fox, Executive Director, Plainview Economic Development Corporation

23. Plainview, Hale County, TX • Plainview: 21,900 (2013) • Hale County: 35,800 (2013) • North East Texas, Panhandle Plains area, between Lubbock and Amarillo • Economic structure

24. Cargill Meat Solutions • Community partner for over 30 years • Employed 2,200 • Processed 4,500 cattle daily • Many 2nd and 3rd generation workers • High wages • Supported local and area charitable causes

25. Texas Drought • Started in 2010 • Record low rainfalls • Over 1,000,000 cattle in feed yards within a 30 mile radius in 2010 • 10 feed yard operations in the area for sale, but few buyers

26. Cargill Plant Idling • Warning signs, denials from company officials • Community reactions • School District impact • Unemployment rate: spiked to 15% • Ripple effects: local vendors, retailers • United Way lost 40% of its contributions

27. Steps to stabilize the local economy • Job fairs • Buses to Friona, TX Cargill plant • $2,100,000 DOL Grant for re-training • South Plains College: Expansions of Technical/Vocational Facility • Wayland Baptist University • Plainview Independent School District: GED opportunities • Language training

28. EDC Steps • City/County governments and EDC prioritized Economic Development • Focus on retaining local industries to avoid domino effect • Focus on diversification • Leverage wind and other alternative energy industry developments

29. Plainview Today • Predictions: • Major population drop • School closure • Great resiliency • Employment rate: 6.8%. • Sales Tax: Up 7% • Stable population • School enrollment : Up over previous year

30. Steven Perdia • General Manager, Strategy and Planning, Canterbury Development Corporation, Christchurch, New Zealand • Responsible for Christchurch Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to 2031

31. Post Earthquake Labour Market Dynamics in christchurchApril 2015

32. Overview • Workforce - Immediate response • The labour market today • The next few years

38. Early Forecasts

39. Early Forecasts

40. Initial Response • Joint Governance Group (Ministry, CERA, Local Gov, EDA, Chamber of Commerce) • Skills Hub (job matching) facility for construction sector (Ministry) • Skills shortage list and rapid application processing (Ministry) • Information and connections portal (Ministry) • Recruitment toolkit (EDA) • Additional Trades Training (SCIRT) • Maori Trades Training (Iwi/Polytech) • Sector Workforce Plans (EDA/CERA) • Modelling, Forecasts (EDA/Ministry) • Information and Reporting (EDA/CERA) • Migration Support Services expanded (Chamber)

43. Current Forecasts

44. GDP growth well above NZ average …

45. Rebuilds share soon to reach peak 10%

46. … with underlying sectors doing well

47. Labour market is booming … ** South Island Source: Statistics NZ, NZIER, CDC

48. Policy/Project Review THEMES • Optimise migration opportunity (attraction strategy, visitor strategy) • Monitoring (Ministry, EDA) • Transition from construction to underlying economy (Skills Hub) PROJECTS • Open visa scheme (review skills shortage list) • Sector projects to support growth (education pathways, profiling, labour attraction) • Information and reporting is with EDA and ongoing • Migration support services continues • Jobs fairs, international student expos, business toolkits

49. … attracting record levels of migration

50. Labour market changes to come • Transition as much labour as possible from construction to underlying economy • Optimise the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (job growth) • Innovation and entrepreneur economy • Impact of housing supply