We're Surveying Midwest Startup and Tech Employers on Their Biggest Hiring Challenges

There's a conversation happening across the Midwest that we've been part of for a while now, and it's time to take it further.

At Purpose Jobs, we work every day at the intersection of talent and opportunity in this region. We connect job seekers with companies doing meaningful work, and we talk to employers constantly about what they're looking for, what they're finding, and where the gaps are. What we keep hearing from founders, hiring managers, and HR leaders in tech and innovation companies alike is that finding the right people is harder than it should be. And the reasons why are complicated.

Is it AI reshaping job descriptions faster than pipelines can keep up? Remote work pulling candidates toward coastal salaries without asking them to leave the Midwest? A skills mismatch between what's being taught and what's actually needed on the ground at startups and scaling companies? Or something else entirely?

We think it's worth finding out, not just anecdotally, but systematically. That's why we’re so excited to support StartMidwest and Digital Reference in launching a regional talent ecosystem survey designed to capture what startup and tech business owners are actually experiencing.

Why This Partnership, Why Now

StartMidwest has quickly become a key player in telling the real story of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Midwest. Philippe Vella, co-founder of StartMidwest, is building it around a core conviction: the American heartland is the most undervalued business opportunity in the world. That belief shapes everything StartMidwest publishes, from Founder Stories to regional funding data.

Digital Reference is building a smarter, more transparent talent ecosystem, challenging the outdated hiring processes and static resumes that make it hard for professionals to show their contributions, and hard for companies to find them.

Purpose Jobs exists to connect purpose-driven candidates with the companies that deserve them, and to help employers attract talent through authentic storytelling.

Together, we cover a lot of ground. What we share is a belief that the Midwest talent story is being undertold — and that the people closest to it, the founders and operators doing the hiring, have the most important perspective.

What We're Asking

This survey asks you to evaluate your own hiring practices and talent needs honestly. Are you hiring for full-time roles, contractors, or both? Where are you finding candidates — and where are you coming up empty? How are forces like AI, remote work, and the pull of coastal compensation affecting your ability to build a team here?

Whether you're a founder who relocated to the Midwest and can't stop comparing the experience to what you left behind, a boomeranger who came back and found things both better and harder than expected, or someone who has been building here your whole career — we want your perspective.

We’ll be honest. It’s a meaty survey. But hiring is a meaty topic, and we’re aiming to uncover significant themes.

There's Something in It for You

We're not just collecting data. Two respondents will be selected to have their stories told across all three platforms. One will receive a Founder Story featured on StartMidwest. Another will receive a Spotlight profile on Digital Reference. Both stories will also appear on the Purpose Jobs blog and be shared across each platform's newsletter and social channels.

That's a combined value of $3,000 in editorial coverage, and more importantly, it's visibility with an audience of founders, operators, and investors who are actively engaged in building the Midwest tech and innovation ecosystem.

If your company is hiring, growing, or navigating the future of work in this region, that's an audience worth being in front of.

Take the Survey by March 31st

This partnership was built around a shared belief: the Midwest deserves better data, better stories, and better tools for building the workforce of the future. But we can only get there if the people doing the work show up and tell us what they're seeing. Join us by taking the survey by March 31st!