And only half the jobs in the private sector in Missoula and Ravalli counties are considered high quality, meaning they pay livable wages, offer health insurance or retirement plans, are full time and provide paid holiday and sick time, the survey found.
Among the industries to offer high-quality jobs are wholesale trade, administrative positions, private school teachers, and the finance and insurance industry.
But that doesn't explain the full picture, said Rosalie Cates, executive director of MCDC. Many people are public employees, meaning they are paid by the government, such as public school teachers or Forest Service personnel.
That's why it's important to look regionally in terms of the economy, wages and benefits, Cates said. Many people in the outlying communities commute to work - sometimes to another county.
Although the results aren't necessarily groundbreaking, it was the first time any research this specific had been conducted. It was also the first survey to look at many different job components, such as wage, health insurance, vacation and sick leave, in a comprehensive way, said Marcy Allen of the BitterRoot Economic Development District.
The Regional Forum on Wage and Benefits, held Monday in the Governor's Room of the downtown Florence Building, was the start of a communitywide conversation on how to help employers offer more high-quality jobs, Allen said. It was facilitated by BREDD.
Nearly 50 local entrepreneurs, people from economic-development groups, public employees and officials attended the event.
Jobs were rated by whether they were full time or part time, whether they included company health benefits, paid vacation and sick leave, and pay above the county's average living wage. In Missoula County, that's $11.31 per hour. It's $11.26 in Mineral and Ravalli counties.
The survey found that larger companies are more likely to offer employees health insurance benefits. However, when comparing the three-county region to employers of equal size across the state, the number of businesses here offering health insurance is slightly less than the state average.
Industries that offer average-quality jobs include agriculture and forestry, arts and entertainment, retail, real estate and rental, and transportation and warehousing.
Food services and accommodations tend to have the fewest quality jobs, according to the survey, meaning they pay less and provide the fewest benefits.
Defining a high-quality job is easier than offering one. A three-member panel of local businessmen discussed some of the hardships of retention and recruiting skilled workers.
The construction business, for example, depends a lot on cost flow, said Joe McMahon of McMahon Construction, which employs five people in Missoula. Offering benefits depends largely on the amount of work the company secures, he said.
“It's hard to project for the future,” he said.
The learning curve for green businessmen and women is steep and not everyone plays by the rules, McMahon said. Construction companies, for example, that don't know they have to pay for worker's compensation make more money in the long run and sometimes offer higher wages. It's harder to compete with people that don't play fair, he said.
Affordable housing also affects businesses and wages.
Hide and Sole owner Scott Sproull says he likes to hire people who already own homes in Missoula because the lack of affordable housing eventually pushes renters elsewhere. Having to retrain and re-recruit employees is money out of the business' pocket. The more profitable a business, the more employers can afford to pay their workers, he said.
But a high wage is not the only thing people want these days, said Owen Robbins, marketing director for Farmers State Bank. An employee's age, economic status and outside interests determine what job package would be most desirable to them.
Sproull tried to offer a young employee full-time employment and health benefits lately, but she was more interested in working multiple jobs in order to maintain a flexible work schedule, he said.
Cates hopes businesses take advantage of the wage and benefits metric located on the Northwest Area Foundation Web site. Offering quality jobs can help marketing and attract quality workers, she said. Companies can use the metric tool to see whether they offer quality jobs. It's free; employers must only register.
For more information, check it out on the Web at jobmetric.nwaf.org/about.php.
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