Index Reveals South Lags Overall U.S. Workforce

As low-skill, labor intensive jobs are increasingly replaced by technology or outsourced in the emerging knowledge-based economy, a two-tiered labor market has emerged, thus presenting a challenge for workers to either work cheaper or work smarter, says a new report from the Southern Growth Policies Board. Only one of those options is appealing for those trying to improve your standard of living.

Refusing to have the region left behind, Southern Growth developed a goal to create the talent pool needed to meet ongoing market needs and opportunities. The Southern Workforce Index is a working plan for tracking the South's progress in developing a knowledge-economy workforce and is intended as a guide for states to pursue their own individualized strategies.

The index uses 15 indicators to compare the region and individual states to overall U.S. statistics. It also contains state-by-state data and summaries of workforce initiatives within the region. To guide the regions' progress toward realizing their goal, Southern Growth approved three major objectives:

• Create seamless workforce systems that maximize client control over the outcomes (institutional seamlessness);
• Capitalize on available human capital by identifying and developing underutilized sources of workforce and talent (wasted human capital); and,
• Create a self-directed workforce with the attitudes, learning habits and decision tools necessary for making wise career choices throughout life (self-directed workforce).

The index reveals the South slightly lags in several indicators when compared to overall U.S. averages. For example, only 31 percent of working adults in the South have an associate's degree or higher, compared to 36 percent nationwide. Also, the South has lower Hispanic high school graduation rates, higher incarceration rates, and a smaller percentage of eighth graders who are enrolled in Algebra I. One positive indicator shows the South has a higher proportion of postsecondary institutions that provide dual enrollment opportunities, which is often seen as an effective strategy to increase high school graduation, college enrollment and completion, according to the report.

The Southern Workforce Index is available at http://www.southern.org/.