“The Global Chase for Talent,” a report released
by the Site Selectors Guild two weeks ago, finds that 78% of the
organization’s surveyed members (85% among those working office
projects) say talent shortages are impacting where companies will
consider investing in new or expanded facilities, and 41% believe skills
shortages are the new normal. The infographic shows what they think of
incentives created to attract talent (not companies).
The surveyed consultants believe manufacturing and transportation/
warehousing will be the industries most impacted by the global talent
crisis. And 63% say companies are increasingly conscious of state and
local laws and policies — such as social policies/laws, voting laws and
mandates related to COVID-19 — that could be hot-button issues for
recruiting and retaining talent.
The October survey also highlights six states the site selection
consultants believe are implementing successful talent attraction and
retention strategies — though the Guild declined to list them in any
order but alphabetical: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and
Virginia. Research how those six states performed in our most recent Governor’s Cups, Prosperity
Cup and Business Climate rankings, the latter two of
which were topped by North Carolina (unnamed in the Guild’s list). As
for talent, see how the states fared in our Workforce Development rankings, the next edition
of which will appear in the January 2022 issue of Site Selection. — Adam
Bruns
EVENTS
DIGITAL
EDITION
GEORGIA
The 2021 Georgia Economic Development Guide
Digital Edition is live. Inside you can access
reports on the state’s global FDI and trade initiatives; infrastructure;
higher education and research institutions; workforce leadership; and
growing reputation for entrepreneurship and innovation, among other
topics. Read our interview with Gov. Brian Kemp. Check out our profile
of metro Atlanta. And dive into more than a dozen industry sector
reports ranging from fintech and logistics to defense, energy,
automotive and film and entertainment.
PROJECT WATCH
Texas
Samsung on November 24 announced this mammoth semiconductor plant
investment, the largest the company has ever made in the U.S., where the
company already has been manufacturing chips for 25 years. “After
reviewing multiple locations within the U.S. for a potential
manufacturing site, the decision to invest in Taylor was based on
multiple factors, including the local semiconductor ecosystem,
infrastructure stability, local government support and community
development opportunities,” the company said in a release. “In
particular, the proximity to Samsung’s current manufacturing site in
Austin, about 25 kilometers southwest of Taylor, allows the two
locations to share the necessary infrastructure and resources.” The
project brings Samsung’s total investment in the U.S. to more than $47
billion since beginning operations in the country in 1978. The 2,000 new
jobs increase a total U.S. headcount for Samsung that is already north
of 20,000. The new site, projected to kick into gear in the second half
of 2024, is expected to serve as a key location for Samsung alongside
its new production line in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Watch for more
reporting on this project in Site Selection and at SiteSelection.com.
As reported by The Economic Times, IBM signed a lease for office space
in a special economic zone (SEZ) in Bhartiya City as it consolidates its
Bengaluru operations. Bhartiya City has 3 million sq. ft. of office
development, and the newspaper reports that IBM is in additional talks
for another 200,000 sq. ft. in the non-SEZ portion of the development.
According to published reports, IBM recently has launched software
development centers in Kochi, Kerala, and Ahmedabad, Gujarat; a Client
Innovation Center specializing in design, software engineering, and
analytics in Mysuru; and a BPO operation for its consulting division in
Hyderabad, Telengana.
JLL yesterday released its Premium Office Rent Tracker report comparing and
ranking 127 office markets and submarkets in 112 cities, including newly
added markets in Central Europe, China, the U.S. and Africa. Among its
findings: New York-Midtown is now tied with Hong Kong-Central for most
expensive in the world, and 12 of the 20 most expensive markets are in
Asia. A full 84% of the premium office buildings surveyed (100% in
high-end markets) have a certification in environmental sustainability,
such as LEED or BREEAM. And despite reports of pandemic-influenced
movement out of central business districts, JLL reports, “In 2021 the
rental gap between core and decentralized submarkets has widened for the
key gateway cities — Hong Kong, New York, Beijing and Tokyo — as core
business districts continued to attract healthy interest from corporate
occupiers.”
PHOTO OF THE
DAY
During morning runs from his home in Arlington, Virginia, to the Lincoln
Memorial and back, Travis Britt, the brother-in-law of Site Selection
Executive Vice President Ron Starner, often snaps a few photos. This
one, taken on the morning of the 25th Thanksgiving he and his wife Ronda
have celebrated in the D.C. area, was particularly spectacular.
