Building the Workforce of Tomorrow

An Interconnected Issue

A lack of access to childcare has had a direct impact on workforce engagement, affecting employees and businesses. The ripple effect caused by this challenge has disrupted industries and economies.
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Government, philanthropy, business, nonprofit, and other partners all have important roles to play in addressing this issue, and businesses are uniquely positioned to make an immediate, direct impact.

Employers Can Drive Change While Supporting Hiring & Retention

In March 2022, San Diego saw nearly 10,000 more unique job postings than the previous year, an increase of 18%. Furthermore, the advertised median salary has increased by 13%. This indicates employers are looking to hire more now than a year ago and are willing to pay higher wages to attract candidates.6
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The following options outline opportunities for employers to remain competitive while helping their employees thrive:

  • Maintain or Introduce Flexibility
  • Design with Working Parents in Mind
  • Explore Innovative Benefits
  • Embrace Change

Maintain or Introduce Flexibility

90% of working parents polled in San Diego would like to have greater flexibility in their work schedules. Often, the ability to drop off and pick up kids from school or care is a challenge.2

Flexible schedules are in high demand

When presented with an array of options for workplace benefits, parents across the region ranked flexibility highly.2

Remote, hybrid, and flexible work schedules have been tested at scale.

When surveyed, 94% percent of employers across the U.S. said that productivity has remained the same or improved since employees began working remotely.7

Stable, predictable schedules can increase productivity.8

When working parents have the ability to plan ahead, they can better address the challenges of balancing care and work.

80%

of parents say they'd be much more interested in working for an employer that offered some flexibility.2

Explore Innovative Benefits That Address Childcare

With 92% of San Diego parents saying that childcare is crucial to their workforce participation, considering how an organization’s benefits can support working parents is not only a way to support employees, it’s a way for businesses to set themselves apart from the competition.1

A wide variety of options are available for employers interested in providing benefits to support working parents.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation offers benefits models for small to large businesses: Essential Care for Essential Workers

Learn about innovative offerings for employers provided by local nonprofits:

Design and Plan with Working Parents in Mind

Return-to-work plans, employee benefits packages, and hiring and retention practices can be informed by a human-centered approach that includes the needs of working parents.

Working parents make up a significant portion of the workforce.

In the U.S., about 41% of workers between the ages of 20 and 54 have at least one child at home.9
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At a time when hiring is especially competitive, making a workplace more attractive to parents can increase the potential talent pool. Learn more about employee-centered models at: SDFoundation.org/Employer

Understanding staff needs can support all employees.

Reimagining workplace norms in a way that supports individuals and fosters engagement isn’t only great for working parents - the practice can benefit all employees.

Embrace change

The way we work has fundamentally changed. Employers have an opportunity to lean into this new reality, and doing so may support staff engagement, productivity, and retention.

The pandemic has shifted employee mindset:

  • 29% of full-time employees in the U.S. are actively looking for a new job.10
  • 53% of employees are more likely to prioritize health and well-being over work than before the pandemic.11
  • 3 in 10 employees working remotely say they are extremely likely to seek another job if their company eliminates remote work.12

There has never been a better time to consider what the future workforce (and workplace) of San Diego will look like.

The pandemic has forced change upon individuals and communities, and as we rebuild, we have a unique opportunity to design a more inclusive, resilient workforce.

“Reliable and affordable childcare…that peace of mind is incredibly valuable because it allows for better workplace productivity.”

— Mom from San Diego3

© 2022 San Diego Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
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