7,000 every year…remember that number! If you are one of the many companies looking to expand or relocate and you cannot align all of the industry factor stars, most importantly the labor pool star, then Fayetteville could be your Universe. Why does Fayetteville currently have the highest “Metro” unemployment rate in North Carolina (of 5.1%), with Raleigh at 3.6% (11/17) and Charlotte at 3.5% (11/17)? It’s certainly not because the labor pool is underqualified or uneducated; it’s because 7,000, yes 7,000 “proven” US Military service members are exiting the military in Fayetteville every year and returning to the workforce. As an employer, who wouldn’t want a highly disciplined, highly trained, drug-free former service member on their team? Though a portion of this invaluable and formerly untapped labor pool is returning to their hometowns, many of these dedicated young men and women are being retained in the local economy as detailed in the July 17, 2017 article ‘Fort Bragg to Open New Career Resource Center on Post’ from the Fayetteville Observer . This program has been in place since 2016 to transition soldiers into the local workforce, while partnering with companies and organizations. So, while this extremely important component of the US economy called “labor” is becoming scarcer by the month, Fayetteville, North Carolina’s sixth largest city (of 550,000 CSA) and the state’s youngest Metro average age of 29.2 years should not just be shortlisted…it should be strongly considered.
“Between the 7,000 soldiers completing service at Ft Bragg each year, their trailing spouses, and our local residents, Fayetteville offers a talented, diverse, and young workforce. Our existing employers experience lower than average turnover rates, as well as lower labor costs and a larger available talent pool than any metro we’ve compared ourselves to in the Southeastern US.” Robert Van Geons / President & CEO/ Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation
