Summary
The Greater Peoria Economic Development Council (GPEDC) is requesting proposals from interested, highly qualified firms to conduct a comprehensive labor analysis and provide recommendations regarding workforce development strategies for the Greater Peoria region of Illinois, composed of five Central Illinois counties: Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Mason, and Logan (with the recognition that “labor sheds” expand to neighboring counties).
Background and Rationale
GPEDC is seeking a consulting firm to assist in developing and launching workforce development initiatives through data-based recommendations. Three-plus years after the COVID pandemic, the region’s employment situation has still not fully recovered. According to the Illinois Department of Economic Security (IDES), there are nearly 4,000 fewer employed people in April 2023 than in February 2020 (the month before the onset of the pandemic). The employment situation has also fluctuated wildly in the three years post-pandemic, with nearly 6,000 more people reporting employment in July 2022 (171,150) than April 2023 (171,461). The April 2023 unemployment rate for Greater Peoria was 4.5%, more than a half percentage point higher than the Illinois rate of 3.8% and more than a percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate (3.4%), which represents a disconnect. (GPEDC tracks local unemployment and jobs information at https://data.greaterpeoria.us/workforce.)
Please view the entire RFP below to learn more about the scope of work and how to submit your proposal.