Workforce

Employers find educated and productive employees in Palo Alto County.  Iowa Workforce Development statistics show 95% of residents surveyed are high school graduates.

As an Enterprise Zone, Palo Alto County has programs that provide tax incentives to those willing to make an investment in areas needing an economic boost. An educated and competent workforce coupled with financial incentives make Palo Alto County a smart choice to locate.

Of the 1,843 residents who responded to questionnaires mailed to their household, 1,035 indicate that they were available to work. 44% of Palo Alto County respondents indicated a willingness to make a 20-30 minute one-way trip daily to the workplace to work for new or expanded industry. The potential Palo Alto County workforce expands to 3,356 with the inclusion of surrounding county residents willing to commute. Statistics show that over half of the residents accept wages ranging from $9 to $20 per hour.

Training Programs

  • Iowa Retraining Program - offers low-interest loans and forgivable loans for up to $50,000 to retrain employees. Training funds are also available through the Small Business New Jobs Training Program.
  • Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Program - trains new employees of eligible Iowa businesses who may be new to Iowa, expanding their Iowa workforce, or relocating to the state.
  • Iowa New Jobs Training Program - provides job training services to current employees of eligible businesses which are located in Iowa.
  • Business Network Training - ensures that Iowa's workforce has the skills and expertise to compete with any workforce.

Recruitment & Immigration

  • Human Resource Recruitment Consortium - a unique public-private partnership created to meet Iowa's growing need for highly skilled employees.
Workforce

To work is good; to work diligently is better; to work joyfully is best. – William Arthur Ward