Solano County employers' confidence level remains strong in Bay Area Business Confidence Survey
Article Last Updated: 8/12/2005 06:26 AM
Area's employers: Economic outlook good
By Bay City News Service
Vallejo Times Herald
A survey conducted by the Bay Area Council indicates that despite recent high-profile layoffs, local businesses are not down-sizing en masse.
And though slightly less optimistic than the rest of the Bay Area, the survey shows Solano County employers' confidence level remains strong.
The Bay Area Business Confidence Survey, conducted by the council each quarter, conveys what Council President and CEO Jim Wunderman calls the "mood" of the business climate in the Bay Area.
Overall, he said, "we're seeing more employment growth than before."
The council's John Grubb said the Solano/Contra Costa county areas, which are combined for the purposes of the survey, saw overall job growth, primarily in construction and transportation. The survey showed a slightly smaller percentage of Solano County area employers plan to hire new employees in the next six months than those in most of the rest of the Bay Area. However, significantly fewer Solano companies plan layoffs.
Overall, he said, the picture for this area has actually improved.
A news release from the Council indicated that the survey may show that "the layoffs at companies like Hewlett Packard and the former Peoplesoft are aberrations, not a general marketplace phenomenon."
Fifty-two percent of the travel and leisure sector of the economy plans to increase hiring, according to the survey. In part, said Wunderman, this is because of the weak dollar making U.S. destinations attractive to foreign visitors.
Other sectors that indicated they would be hiring in the near future include manufacturing, business services, financial activities and residential construction.
While the survey indicates that the total number of companies currently hiring is on the rise, it does not give any measure of what kind of jobs are becoming available.
The hospitality sector, which is experiencing heavy growth, may end up providing menial work that, said Wunderman, would end with the season.
Overall, however, Wunderman asserted that "you can expect for the most part that these are going to be pretty good jobs."
While much of the growth in the nation's economy has been rooted in an increase in small business activity, said Wunderman, that growth has increased across the spectrum of industries, resulting in more middle to high-paying positions with large companies.
As for the upswing in retail jobs, Wunderman noted that, while they are not a particularly high-paying job category, many companies do offer benefits and a "ladder up" structure that promotes advancement.
The news release from the council indicates that, according to the state Employment Development Division, within the last 12 months, the Bay Area has added 15,800 jobs.
- Times-Herald staff writer Rachel Raskin-Zrihen contributed to this report.
Area's employers: Economic outlook good
By Bay City News Service
Vallejo Times Herald
A survey conducted by the Bay Area Council indicates that despite recent high-profile layoffs, local businesses are not down-sizing en masse.
And though slightly less optimistic than the rest of the Bay Area, the survey shows Solano County employers' confidence level remains strong.
The Bay Area Business Confidence Survey, conducted by the council each quarter, conveys what Council President and CEO Jim Wunderman calls the "mood" of the business climate in the Bay Area.
Overall, he said, "we're seeing more employment growth than before."
The council's John Grubb said the Solano/Contra Costa county areas, which are combined for the purposes of the survey, saw overall job growth, primarily in construction and transportation. The survey showed a slightly smaller percentage of Solano County area employers plan to hire new employees in the next six months than those in most of the rest of the Bay Area. However, significantly fewer Solano companies plan layoffs.
Overall, he said, the picture for this area has actually improved.
A news release from the Council indicated that the survey may show that "the layoffs at companies like Hewlett Packard and the former Peoplesoft are aberrations, not a general marketplace phenomenon."
Fifty-two percent of the travel and leisure sector of the economy plans to increase hiring, according to the survey. In part, said Wunderman, this is because of the weak dollar making U.S. destinations attractive to foreign visitors.
Other sectors that indicated they would be hiring in the near future include manufacturing, business services, financial activities and residential construction.
While the survey indicates that the total number of companies currently hiring is on the rise, it does not give any measure of what kind of jobs are becoming available.
The hospitality sector, which is experiencing heavy growth, may end up providing menial work that, said Wunderman, would end with the season.
Overall, however, Wunderman asserted that "you can expect for the most part that these are going to be pretty good jobs."
While much of the growth in the nation's economy has been rooted in an increase in small business activity, said Wunderman, that growth has increased across the spectrum of industries, resulting in more middle to high-paying positions with large companies.
As for the upswing in retail jobs, Wunderman noted that, while they are not a particularly high-paying job category, many companies do offer benefits and a "ladder up" structure that promotes advancement.
The news release from the council indicates that, according to the state Employment Development Division, within the last 12 months, the Bay Area has added 15,800 jobs.
- Times-Herald staff writer Rachel Raskin-Zrihen contributed to this report.
posted by Solano EDC at 10:32 AM
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