|
The tables and comments that follow provide an update on the job growth information from 2003 (the baseline year for the RJI) through 2007. The data source for all tables is the State of California Employment Development Department for the Fresno and Madera Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The tables track data only for the original seven RJI industry clusters (Water Technology is included within Durable Goods Manufacturing).
One measure of the effectiveness of the RJI collaborative is how the area performs during national economic down-cycles. By that measure, the area acquitted itself well during a difficult year in 2007. While the construction industry lost 2500 jobs, other RJI industry clusters added 1,600 jobs. Other industry clusters showed a net gain of 2,200 jobs and government added 1,400 jobs. Preliminary farm employment numbers show a surprising 2,700 job gain. The net total was a gain of 5,400 jobs in the Fresno and Madera MSA’s.
As shown in the chart below, non-farm job growth in the Fresno-Madera area has significantly outperformed the State of California. While the latter grew 5.3%, the Fresno Madera area grew by 8.1%.
It is noteworthy that this growth has occurred despite the fact that the area continues to show a significant gap in workforce skills needed to fill available jobs. Our problem is not so much about availability of employment as it is about having people with the requisite skills to fill the jobs that are available. A survey conducted by the Fresno Workforce Investment Board showed over 3,000 unfilled jobs in Fresno County in 2007 because employers could not find workers with the requisite skills.
The 2007 figures shown below are preliminary and are likely to be adjusted by the end of April 2008. At first glance, both the civilian labor force and the civilian employment numbers appear to be high relative to the historical pattern. These preliminary numbers show the region unemployment increasing to 8.5 %, still well below the 11.5% rate during the baseline year of the RJI.
All industry clusters have shown significant growth since 2003. Despite a loss of 2,500 construction jobs in 2007, the industry still shows a net gain of 3,200 jobs since 2003. The tourism industry, considered from the outset as the “low-hanging fruit” for job creation in the region, has shown remarkable growth. All other industry clusters show a positive growth trend, with health care significantly under-achieving its potential because of the lack of qualified candidates for the many available jobs.
The preceding data is visually summarized for Fresno County in the chart below. Job growth in the RJI industry clusters has significantly outperformed all other sectors of the economy and accounted for 75% of all non-farm/non-government job growth in Fresno County since 2003.
Source: RJI 2007 Annual Report |
