San Antonians like where they live and their happiness is reflected in their job satisfaction according to a recent “Metro Positivity” study included in a newly launched whitepaper from greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership. In the study, San Antonio finished third of the 41 largest metros in North America, outranking such destination cities as Denver, Toronto, Seattle, and New York.
The 2023 study, conducted by a corporate consulting firm, compared job satisfaction among employees in San Antonio with that of their colleagues working for the same companies, but in different metros. The firm used data from global employer review site Glassdoor to analyze corporate culture and values reviews posted from 2018-2023 for 575 large employers located in the 41 largest metro areas in the U.S. and Canada. They established a “metro positivity score” for each, signifying how the metro in which the associates work contributes to employee satisfaction, engagement, retention, and other outcomes.
“We knew San Antonians liked living and working here, but it’s nice to see proof of just how satisfied they are,” said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and chief executive officer of greater:SATX, the regional economic development organization for San Antonio. “San Antonio offers residents an unmatched mix of culture, career opportunities, amenities, lifestyle, affordability, and diversity – and now, positivity – which helps explain why we’re one of the fastest-growing metros in the country.”
The survey results anchor a new whitepaper from greater:SATX sharing how the economic development organization, along with its corporate sector, regional economic development partners, and public sector collaborators, has successfully pursued strategies to make the region attractive to employers and employees alike. Co-authoring the whitepaper with Saucedo-Herrera are three San Antonio regional corporate leaders and greater:SATX investors, Craig Boyan, President of H-E-B; Rosa Santana, Founder and CEO of Santana Group; and Phil Green, Chairman and CEO of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc.
Among the best practices shared in detail in the whitepaper are:
Fostering a Collaborative Spirit. Local leaders demonstrated this during the Covid-19 pandemic when they formed a roundtable to address community needs, and, more recently, during the successful campaign to secure direct flights to European cities, culminating in the announcement of San Antonio’s first nonstop transatlantic flight to Frankfurt with Condor Airlines.
Executing Decision-Making with a Dual Lens. Greater San Antonio wants businesses and professionals to not only move here, but to fully integrate themselves into the community and, in turn, make it better for all. The success of companies like Toyota and Victory Capital is proof this approach works.
Deploying the Talent Pipeline Management® Framework. greater:SATX is using a comprehensive workforce approach from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and is the first to do so across five industry sectors – advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, cybersecurity/technology and construction/skilled trades – to ensure the region develops its own talented and sustainable workforce to fuel transformational growth.
Leveraging Consumer Brand Approaches. Greater San Antonio competes for talent and business with many other metros. Through its Life Works Greater in San Antonio℠ campaign, greater:SATX employs consumer branding strategies to share the good news of the region and attract companies and people to the locale.
“Every professional and business that relocates here and all who stay here have the option of choosing elsewhere. greater:SATX is committed to keeping San Antonio the destination of choice to live, work, and build a business,” said Saucedo-Herrera.
In other recent news, San Antonio made its debut on the “Top 10 U.S. Markets to Watch List,” ranking No. 8 on the list as published in the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers 2024 “Emerging Trends in Real Estate” Report. JCB, the world’s largest privately owned manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment, announced that San Antonio will be home to the company’s second and largest North American manufacturing facility, the greatest economic development infusion in the region in 20 years with an expected $30 billion economic impact over the next 10 years and the creation of more than 1,500 jobs. Click here to learn more about the region’s 2023 year-in-review accomplishments.
To learn more, click here to review the greater:SATX whitepaper titled “Best Practices to Nurture Metro Positivity Effect: San Antonio Case Study.”