Labor Market

Underemployment Survey

Executive Summary
The Pathfinders has employed its experience in workforce assessments for corporate site-selection clients and assessments of the civilian workforce in locations where military installations were scheduled for closure to produce this evaluation of the Mobile area workforce. The Pathfinders functions as a site-selection consultant to many of America’s largest corporations. Senior human resources executives from among those clients assisted in refining this methodology and report format. Companies making location decisions based upon these surveys have reported that when staffing actually began, the numbers reported proved to be accurate.

The information presented in this report has been developed independently of the client, and the client has not influenced the findings. This report represents the objective and professional view of The Pathfinders with regard to workforce availability, cost, skills, and quality that a new employer can expect in the Mobile region.

The findings contained herein include the following observations:

In addition to the unemployed in the Mobile region, a new employer will be able to attract employees from an additional pool of about 69,500 potentially available workers who have indicated an interest in changing jobs.

Those workers possess the skills, experience, and education to qualify them for the pay rates at which they would take a new job, and that defines them as underemployed. For the purposes of this report, the term "underemployed" is used herein when referring to those potentially available workers.

The pay rates they specify to take a new job are reasonable when compared to their existing pay rates.

About 25% of those workers would take a new job for $10.25 per hour or less. At the upper end, the 25% most qualified and experienced will command more than $20.78 per hour.

Roughly 12,500 people, neither employed nor seeking work, might re-enter the workforce for the proper job.

To determine the boundaries of the area to be surveyed, The Pathfinders applied the same reasoning that would be used during a site search for a corporate client considering the area as a location to determine the locations from which workers might be drawn to a new employer. The Mobile survey area (Mobile, Baldwin and portions of Clarke and Washington Counties in Alabama, and Jackson and George Counties in Mississippi) has an estimated total civilian labor force of approximately 354,500 people. The survey area, referred to in this report as the labor shed, contains approximately 21,300 unemployed people who are seeking work.

While the unemployed may be considered a potentially good source of employees, the type of quality employer that the labor shed is attempting to attract typically does not rely on the unemployed to staff a new operation. As a consequence, The Pathfinders was retained to quantify the extent to which UNDEREMPLOYMENT exists in the area, as well as to document the cost, skills, experience, and education of that hidden workforce. Published government statistics report wages and employment for the entire workforce of an area, even though most of this workforce has no interest in changing jobs. The report prepared by The Pathfinders, however, includes data only on those people in the area who might change jobs and who would, therefore, be potential candidate workers for a new employer. As opposed to average wages, this report quantifies the number of those workers available for an employer in various wage ranges.

The results of this assessment determined that in addition to the 21,300 unemployed individuals in the labor shed, approximately 69,500 workers could be defined as underemployed: those individuals who would take a better job if offered by a new or existing employer and who possess the skills, education, and experience to qualify them for a better job. Of these underemployed workers in the labor shed, 21,900 would change jobs for $10.99 per hour or less, and 50% of them would take a new job for $14.72 per hour or less.

Additionally, 31% of these underemployed workers have some college experience; 8% have associate degrees; and, another 28% have earned four-year college degrees or higher. As these data relate solely to those individuals in the labor shed who are underemployed, they will vary from data representative of the population as a whole.

The reader, however, should consider that while the number of underemployed workers identified in the area, as well as their skills, experience, education, and costs, is accurate, all of those individuals would not be acceptable candidates for an employer. Their previous work records, stability, integrity, intelligence, appearance, and other factors could not be considered in the report.

Site searches to identify the optimum location for new facilities have been conducted by The Pathfinders for such clients as AT&T, DuPont, Celanese, 3M Corporation, IMC Global, AIG, Ciba-Geigy, and others of a similar stature. The availability of workers is a critical factor in selecting a location for a new operation, and a workforce analysis has been a key component of the site searches conducted for these corporate clients.

The Pathfinders has applied its site-search experience to this assessment of the workforce in the Mobile region. In instances where similar workforce surveys have been conducted for corporate clients in site-selection projects, the accuracy of the findings has been repeatedly verified as those clients located and began staffing new operations.
Source: The Pathfinders, 4363 Lindbergh, Dallas, Texas 75244, July 2003

Labor Market Overview

Mobile Mobile Bay Area
Total Civilian Labor Force 271,534
Number of Persons Unemployed 8,151
Acive Applicants on File 17,058
Percent Unemployed 3.0%
Source: Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, Current as of 01-07

2005-2007 Unemployment Rates - Mobile Bay Area




Category Mobile Bay Area Mobile County Baldwin County
Employees Businesses EmployeesBusinesses Employees Businesses
Agricultural Services,Forestry & Fisheries 1,370851,121 4024945
Mining 60437389 2321514
Construction 18,8582,056 12,7041,146 6,154910
Manufacturing21,537718 16,1424975,395 221
Transportation & Public Utilities9,882577 7,4953902,387 187
Wholesale Trade 15,4031,289 11,8949473,509 342
Retail Trade44,832 3,90631,327 2,47713,505 1,429
Finance, Insurance, &Real Estate18,859 2,56412,127 1,5206,7321,044
Services123,786 11,07989,144 7,408 34,6423,671
Total255,08622,311 182,29814,448 72,7887,863

Civilian Labor Force* - Employment

Annual Averages – Mobile Mobile Bay Area
1990 1995 1998 1999 2000 2005 2006
Total Labor Force 215.7 252.6 269.9 269.9 271.8 257.9264.6
Employment 201.4 235.2 259.5 257.3 259.3 247.2255.7
Unemployment 14.3 17.4 10.3 12.6 12.5 10.68.9
Unemployment Rate 6.6% 6.9% 3.8% 4.7% 4.6% 4.1%3.2%
*Place of residence basis; in thousands. Source: Alabama Department of Industrial Relations 01-07

Employment by Occupation

Occupation of Employed Persons (16 years and over)
Mobile County
Occupation Number of Employees Percentage
Management, professional, and related occupations 47,784 29.0 %
Service occupations 25,016 15.2 %
Sales and office occupations 44,351 26.9 %
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 948 0.6 %
Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations 19,933 12.1 %
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 26,622 16.2%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000

Wages By Classification

Selected Office & Administrative Support Occupations

Occupational Titles Avg. Min. Wage Rate Avg. Max. Wage Rate
Bookkeeper 8.81 14.74
Computer Operator 10.35 17.39
Secretary / Administrative Assistant, General 8.86 12.99
Receptionist / Information Clerk 7.07 9.69
Data Entry Clerk 7.96 13.20
Legal Secretary 10.94 18.87
Switchboard Operator / Answering Service 7.04 9.71
Word Processors / Typist 9.62 13.31
Computer Support Specialists 11.62 21.02
File Clerks 5.96 8.91
Source: Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Wage Survey, 2004 Edition

Selected Other Manufacturing Environment Occupations

Occupational Titles Avg. Min. Wage Rate Avg. Max. Wage Rate
Assemblers & Fabricators 7.29 11.19
Automotive Service Techs & Mechanics 7.27 16.27
Building & Grounds Maintenance Workers 7.08 10.18
Carpenter 11.17 15.87
Cementing & Gluing Machine Operators 9.57 15.04
Chemical Equipment Operators & Tenders 15.88 22.23
Chemical Plant & System Operators 18.73 24.34
Coating, Painting, & Spraying Machine Setters 6.35 10.14
Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators 10.92 13.77
Construction Laborers 7.09 11.72
Construction Trades & Related Workers 9.80 15.52
Crane & Tower Operators 15.24 20.14
Cutting, Punching, & Press Setter Operators 8.17 13.08
Electrical & Electronic Repairers, Industrial 15.33 23.69
Electricians 10.54 16.24
Environmental Science & Protection Techs 14.77 19.21
Excavating & Loading Machine Operators 11.12 13.92
Extruding, Forming, Pressing Machine Operators 10.84 14.68
Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations 6.31 8.94
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, & Kettle Operators 9.85 21.05
Gas Plant Operator 14.07 24.89
Helper - Electricians 7.50 10.70
Helper - Pipefitters, Plumbers, Etc. 7.13 10.96
Helper - Production Workers 6.70 10.28
Industrial Machinery Mechanics 12.68 19.32
Industrial Truck & Tractor Operators 8.91 14.53
Janitors & Cleaners, except Maids & Housekeeping 5.95 8.25
Laborer - Freight, Stock, Material Movers 6.11 10.88
Log Grader & Scalers 10.68 16.00
Logging Equipment Operator 9.19 13.79
Machinist 13.13 17.88
Maintenance & Repair Workers, General  9.18 18.90
Maintenance & Repair Workers, Machinery 9.06 14.88
Marine Oilers & Sailors 11.89 14.46
Meat, Poultry, & Fish Cutters/Trimmers 7.21 9.95
Millwrights 14.98 20.64
Mixing & Blending Machine Setters, Operators 8.79 14.57
Molders, Shapers, Casters (Except Metal, Plastic) 6.60 7.71
Multiple Machine Tool Setters & Operators 8.01 15.83
Packers & Packagers, Hand 6.02 9.47
Painters, Construction & Maintenance 9.80 15.27
Petroleum Pump System Operators / Refinery 18.32 22.80
Pipefitters, Steamfitters, Plumbers 11.23 18.17
Plant & System Operators, All Others 7.26 18.92
Power Plant Operators 8.77 14.28
Production Occupations 7.88 15.86
Roustabouts, Oil & Gas 8.08 12.31
Security Guards 5.96 11.05
Sewing Machine Operator 6.00 9.52
Sheet Metal Workers 10.39 16.77
Ship & Boat Captains and Operators 14.80 30.38
Structural Iron & Steel Workers 10.90 15.48
Tank Car, Truck, & Ship Loaders 9.70 10.60
Tool & Die Makers 16.98 30.38
Tool Grinders, Filers, & Sharpeners 7.69 16.89
Transportation Inspector 15.35 2 19.37
Truck Drivers, Heavy & Tractor Trailer 9.70 16.91
Truck Drivers, Light or Delivery Services 7.34 15.45
Water/Liquid Waste Treatment Plant Operator 10.23 18.28
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, Brazers 12.47 18.34
Woodworking Machine Setters, Except Sawing 9.78 13.01

Selected Supervisory & Management Occupations

Occupational Titles Avg. Min. Wage Rate Avg. Max. Wage Rate
Ship & Boat Captains 18.22 29.27
Construction Trades Supervisor 15.48 25.84
Food Preparation /Serving Worker Supervisor 9.11 14.09
Mechanics, Installers Supervisor 15.54 25.42
Office & Administrative Support Supervisor 12.71 21.62
Production / Operating Workers Supervisor 13.60 26.76
Retail Sales Workers Supervisor 9.21 20.55
Transportation Industry Supervisor 14.38 25.98
Construction Manager 19.12 34.06
Chief Executives 40.61 70.00
Industrial Production Managers 25.52 43.48
Managers, All Others 21.52 41.88
Transportation, Storage, & Distribution Mgrs 19.92 40.80

Miscellaneous Services

Occupational Titles Avg. Min. Wage Rate Avg. Max. Wage Rate
Accountants & Auditors 13.56 26.69
Brickmason 15.98 19.27
Chemical Engineer 24.58 44.84
Chemical Technicians 16.68 25.04
Cost Estimators 16.56 26.92
Counter/Desk Clerk 6.5610.67
Human Resources Manager 24.07 39.70
Lawyer 31.71 62.95
Medical Assistant 8.14 10.54
Medical Technologist 16.74 22.70
Network & Computer Systems Administrators 20.17 66.44
Nurse, Licensed Practical & Vocational 11.49 14.87
Nurse, Registered 18.71 24.91
Physical Therapist 21.71 32.63
Printing Machine Operator 6.28 12.05
Purchasing Agents 13.54 25.06
Telemarketers 7.5910.63
Teller 7.86 10.10
Training & Development Specialist 13.58 22.96
Source: Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Wage Survey, 2005 Edition

Union Activity

Alabama is a "right-to-work" state with 12.1% of its manufacturing workers unionized.

The percentage of manufacturing plants in the Mobile area that has organized labor affiliations is estimated at 3.1% with the largest representation in the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers and the United Paperworkers International.

Source: www.unionstats.com; Alabama Development Office 08-06

Union Presence

Company Type Reg. Emp. Union Emp. Union Affiliations
ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering Aircraft Refurbishing 1,200 0 No Union
Alabama Power Power Plant 1,152 608 IBEW
Degussa Huls Corporation Chemicals 800 0 No Union
Kimberly Clark Paper Products 777 644 IBEW, PACE
CIBA Specialty Chemicals Chemicals 739 475 PACE
CPSI Software Mgmt. Systems 653 0 No Union
Bender Shipbuilding/Repair Shipbuilding & Repair 650 0 No Union
Masland Carpets Carpets 620 0 No Union
Mobile Register, Inc. Newspaper Publishing 550 11 G&C
Atlantic Marine, Inc. Shipbuilding & Repair 539 0 No Union
Alabama State Port Authority Transportation 493 265 TRU, ILA
Teledyne Continental Motors Aircraft Piston Engines 450 309 UAW
UOP Chemicals 433 0 No Union
Sarah Lee Bakery Group Bakery Products 398 47 BCT
Konica Minolta Comp. Soft/Hardware 375 0 No Union
SSI Group Software Mgmt. Systems 370 0 No Union
Masonite International Door Manufacturing 350 40 AFL-CIO
IPSCO Steel Steel Mill 332 0 No Union
BellSouth Telephone Service 325 205 CW
Bredero Shaw Pipe Coating 300 0 No Union
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Soft Drinks 300 175 Teamsters
DuPont Mobile Mfg. Center Chemicals 300 0 No Union
Olin Chemicals Chemicals 275 187 IAMAW-AFLCIO
Mobile Gas Service Corp. Natural Gas 255 142 PACE
Xante Comp. Software/Hardware 200 0 No Union
Cingular Wireless Wireless Communications 200 96 CWA
Syngenta Chemicals 184 126 USW
Arkema, Inc. Chemicals 181 0 No Union
Huntsman Advanced Materials Chemicals 180 100 PACE
GAF Corporation Roofing Materials 175 152 PACE
Mobile Paperboard, Inc. Paper Products 171 141 PACE
Armstrong World Industries Industrial Goods 165 90 PACE
Holcim USA Dry Cement 158 0 No Union
Taylor-Wharton Cryogenic Storage Tanks 150 80 No Union

The Labor Market Information

The Labor Market Information (LMI) is a divistion of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. LMI is a primary source for much of the available information about Alabama's employment, unemployment, wages, and much more. The information gathered and analyzed by the division is often made available in the form of publications. Distribution lists are maintained for many of the periodic publications which are available upon request. Click here www2.dir.state.al.us/ to learn more about Mobiles ever growing labor market