Workforce perceptions: Employers' assessment of the workforce in a Mississippi Delta county

This study examined the supposed effects of globalization and the immediate implications that are derived through this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to go beyond speculation, and use empirical evidence to better understand local and regional business and workforce issues in the context of globalization.; The hypotheses of this study focus on differences in workforce perceptions according to company characteristics. These factors were technology introduction, age of the company, and differences in workforce perceptions between the service providing industry and the manufacturing industry.; The data used in this study were contributed by the Tri-County Business Development and Assistance Program of the Mississippi Delta. This program operated on the premise of identifying target information to better assess the health of the area's local industry. Assessment involved key-informant face-to-face interviews with industry representatives. These individuals came primarily from manufacturing and service providing companies, the primary business sectors of the area. Data were collected with a survey instrument that consisted of both qualitative and quantitative questions. The questions focused on workforce related issues, market diversification, and research and development of new production methods, production improvements, and new products.; Survey results indicate that companies with emerging technology require a more adequately skilled workforce. These companies perceive the low skilled workers of the area to be insufficiently equipped to meet their needs. In addition, differentiating between types of industry and workforce perceptions, the service providing industries had a lower perception of worker quality than did the manufacturers of the area. Finally, this study suggests that the age of the company provides little indication of how its leaders perceive the workforce.