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SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — Michigan Works! is issuing a call to action to the community to fill out a six-question survey to understand the true impact of COVID-19 and how it relates to the workforce and workers in southwest Michigan.

“We know that every individual in every household has a different experience with COVID-19,” said Lily Brewer, executive director of Michigan Works! Berrien, Cass, Van Buren. “What we don’t know, is what that impact has been. Employers are looking to our team to help them bring back their workforce, reengage individuals, remove their barriers, and ultimately fill the talent gap that COVID left behind, however, we cannot do that unless we know what barriers individuals in our community are facing. This is a proactive step in reconnecting employees and employers as the economy begins to reopen.”

The six-question anonymous survey focuses primarily on the employment status of those living Berrien, Cass or Van Buren counties and will take approximately three minutes to complete. The survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/COVIDswm.

“We want to get to the bottom of the true impact. While economic data is extremely valuable, we want to rely on data that comes directly from the people we serve,” Brewer said

The survey will be open from Friday, Feb. 26 until Friday, March 12. The results of the survey will be shared publicly in an aggregate form at a later date.