Update of the Census for Lea County: Survey of Lea County Employers

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of New Mexico (UNM) surveyed businesses in Lea County as part of a project to analyze the changing economy of Lea County and to develop new economic forecasts and population and demographic projections for the area. The survey was conducted on-line using Survey Monkey. While the completed surveys, which numbered 117, were reasonably reflective of the underlying distribution of establishments by industry, some industries, like mining, transportation, and accommodations and food services, were under-represented both in terms of respondents and, particularly for mining, in terms of total industry employment. Others, like healthcare and social assistance, were over-represented. BBER explored employer overall satisfaction with the business climate and the local workforce. Over 70% of responding employers indicated considerable satisfaction with the local business climate, with only 7% indicating some dissatisfaction. As was true back in 2007, employers generally like the overall business climate but many seem to have concerns about the local work force: 21% indicated some dissatisfaction with work ethic and habits of those hired locally, while 22% expressed dissatisfaction with their education and training.