Building Janesville’s Workforce of the Future: A visual snapshot of what Janesville-area employers are saying about talent, training, technology and the community’s workforce pipeline.
Employers see real opportunity in Janesville, but the supply of job-ready technical talent is not keeping pace with demand. Many businesses are responding by investing in their own people.
Employers report providing training and reskilling for new hires and current employees adapting to change.
Specialized maintenance, electrical, plastics and other skilled roles were among the recurring hiring challenges.
Most respondents agree Janesville is an attractive place to grow and invest, despite workforce constraints.
Three themes stand out across both the ratings and written comments.
Only 18% agree they can find applicants with the technical skills they need. Comments point to a limited candidate pool and positions remaining open for months.
Strong ratings for pay, culture, internal development and on-the-job learning show that employers are investing heavily in attraction, retention and upskilling.
Employers value Janesville’s affordability and business environment while asking for earlier career exposure, stronger work-ready skills and closer employer-education alignment.
Each bar shows the share of employers who agreed, were neutral or disagreed with selected survey statements.
How to read the final value: green values show the share who agree; the red value shows the share who disagree. Percentages are rounded.
Respondents rated how well local education systems prepare students for their industries. Technical colleges earned the strongest average score, while K–12 preparation emerged as a larger concern.
53% disagree. Employers called for more exposure to skilled trades, hands-on learning and workplace-ready skills.
Sentiment is mixed. Applied labs and practical programs drew praise, alongside calls for tighter program-employer alignment.
59% are neutral. Comments suggest less direct connection between university pathways and immediate operational hiring needs.
Anonymous comments, lightly edited for punctuation, add context to the numbers and point toward practical next steps.
“Mechanics, electricians, skilled labor—hard to find.” Employer comment
“Mechanics, electricians, skilled labor—hard to find.”
“Training, training and more training.” Employer comment
“Training, training and more training.”
“Show up, go above and beyond, and Janesville will allow you to have a great life.” Advice to emerging professionals
“Show up, go above and beyond, and Janesville will allow you to have a great life.”
The strongest findings suggest a focused workforce agenda built around earlier exposure, employer-led learning and clearer connections between people and careers.
Help students encounter skilled trades and local career pathways earlier through tours, job shadowing and youth apprenticeships.
Reinforce communication, reliability, accountability, teamwork and confidence alongside technical preparation.
Support the training and reskilling models employers are already using to develop people for hard-to-fill roles.
Create more consistent alignment among employers, schools, training providers and community partners around shared talent needs.
Janesville-area employers can help shape future workforce strategies by completing the survey.