Wage, Benefit Study Released by CEP

Results of a five-county wage and benefit study conducted last summer are now available on the Champaign Economic Partnership’s website. The study was conducted to help local businesses improve their competitiveness in retaining and recruiting qualified employees and to strengthen local economic development.

The study results, released in September to businesses that participated in the survey, can be accessed from the Workforce & Talent tab on the top navigation bar of the CEP website.

CEP Executive Director Marcia Bailey said that the CEP helped organize the five-county study after members of the Champaign County Manufacturers Council said that wage and benefit data would help them and other local businesses retain and attract qualified employees.

Four reports of the study are on the CEP website: a regional results report, a Champaign County results report, a manufacturing report and a regional wages report.

The regional survey includes Champaign, Clark, Logan, Madison and Union County businesses and was completed through a partnership of the CEP and Manufacturers Council, Expand Greater Springfield, Logan County Chamber of Commerce, Madison County Future Inc., Union County/Marysville Economic Development, Ohio Means Jobs of Champaign, Clark, Logan, Madison and Union counties, and Gradwohl Consulting LLC, which conducted the study.

Comparative benefit data was gathered in an online survey completed in June by employers from the five counties. The Dayton Development Coalition provided wage data, which is collected regularly by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc., a consulting firm that supports workforce and economic development efforts.

“This study will enable local employers to see how their benefits and wages compare to similar businesses, so they can make adjustments, if needed, to improve their competitive position in retaining and recruiting qualified workforce,” Bailey said. “That’s especially valuable now, when unemployment is low.”

She added, “This information will also help us in our ongoing efforts to strengthen local economic development and attract new business.”

For more information, contact Bailey at 937-653-7200 or marcia@cepohio.com.

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