Though COVID-19 has been a part of our lives for more than a year now, a survey shows many Marion businesses have found ways to weather the storm and stay optimistic.
According to a survey from the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce, roughly 78% of surveyed businesses said they look to 2022 with predictions of “slow to significant growth.” Further, of these businesses, nearly 60% said they were either fully operational with employees back in the workplace and an additional 32% said they were fully operational with employees working either remotely or on a hybrid schedule.
While Matt Carbary, president of the Marion Chamber of Commerce, said growth is to be expected after a challenging year like 2020, this is still a significant increase. In 2015, the last time the Chamber of Commerce did this survey, only 44% of businesses said they predicted growth.
“I’m excited to see where Marion goes from here,” Carbary said. “It’s good to see so many businesses optimistic for the future.”
Carbary said a large part of this optimistic view on growth is because of the momentum many businesses were able to create before the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, Carbary said Marion businesses were primed for a great financial year in 2020. Though some steam was lost last year, many businesses were able to find new footing through means such as online sales which should stick around post-pandemic.
Carbary acknowledged the last year has been hard on businesses, but it seems Marion is on trend with the state in terms of unemployment numbers. According to news reports, Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped from 5% in February to 4.7% in March. In the Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 survey, Marion businesses reported the average percent of laid off employees is less than 5% with less than 2% of businesses expecting continued lay offs.
Not only is this on par with state unemployment numbers, this statistic is from nearly 30% of all businesses who are members with the Chamber of Commerce. Of these surveyed businesses, their industries range from manufacturing to retail and sizes range from 500 or more employees to smaller mom-and-pop shops.
Since many different types of businesses responded to the survey, Carbary said they are able to really start addressing any concerns that were voiced. And with a year that has drastically changed how many businesses operate, there are still some worries looking ahead to the future.
Of the concerns that topped the list for local businesses, the biggest challenge they listed is the availability of technically qualified candidates. Similarly, and coming in as the second biggest challenge, is the need for employees who possess the soft skills needed in the various industries.
Carbary said the Chamber of Commerce is actively working to address those issues. This includes working with local educators to ensure graduates are entering the workforce with certifications and degrees to land them a job. And that’s also something Carbary is proud of for Marion: it’s educational resources.
He said Marion’s schools have been great at keeping up with the changing times of workforces. Instead of just a high school diploma, graduates are able to leave school with a belt in Six Sigma, or certifications for the manufacturing world. These are crucial as it can give employees a head start on their careers, and it gives employers more options to plug young people into the workplace.
Additionally, Carbary said they will continue to work with Marion County Jobs and Family Services and Marion CanDo! to better understand the type of workers employers are currently looking for. Since these two organizations collaborate heavily with Marion employers, Carbary said they can help guide the Chamber of Commerce’s efforts in preparing the next batch of workers.
“We just want to make sure we’re matching what businesses are looking for,” Carbary said.
Businesses also cited a lack of consumer confidence due to COVID-19 as a main concern. Survey data shows the lack of consumer confidence too as 19% of businesses said they have seen a decrease in sales or donations for non-profits. Further in this 19% of businesses, those who work with supply chains said they continue to experience delays and interruptions.
The cost of health care landed on the list of business concerns and Carbary said it’s another chance for the Chamber of Commerce to help out its members. Recently, the Chamber of Commerce added a new health insurance plan through Anthem for its members which Carbary said can help reduce the cost of health care by 25%.
The rise of health care costs for businesses is concerning, said Carbary, but it’s also comes with a silver lining. Carbary said this means many businesses are making sure they are able to offer health insurance, and many employees are interested. And after more than a year of dealing with the pandemic, having health insurance has proven to be vitally important.
Source: Google News
#chamber of commerce #chambers #chamber news #business #COVID-19
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