SOUTHFIELD ? More than four of five Automation Alley Consortium members expect their revenues to grow this year, while some nine of 10 members surveyed describe the health of their respective industries as Okay or Healthy.
According to other survey findings, the demand for employees with higher education is on the rise. Sixty-three percent require at least a bachelor?s degree, while 23 percent prefer a master?s. Many companies also reported the workforce skills in the highest demand are all areas of engineering, and technical abilities coupled with communication, team building and management skills.
?We were pleasantly surprised by the results of the survey,? said Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation Alley. ?Companies are confident their revenues will continue to grow in 2005, despite the reports of a slowing economy.?
The results came from a study of 184 Alley members conducted by Caponigro Marketing Group of Southfield and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.8 percentage points.
?Future Pulse of the Alley surveys will explore other facets of southeast Michigan business,? said
John Kolon, president of Caponigro Marketing Group. ?These will include issues such as human resources, marketing, information technology and the economy.?
The Automation Alley Member Consortium comprised of 530 southeast Michigan companies, representing a wide cross-section of industries including computer programming, manufacturing, automotive, legal, healthcare, among others. Michigan News Network, the parent company of Mitechnews.Com, also is a member of Automation Alley.
