SLO Unemployment Down Again
EDD reported that unemployment in San Luis Obispo County in May fell to a multi year low of 7.8% compared to 7.9% in April and 8.8% a year earlier.
The SLO economy added a robust 2000 jobs in all sectors in the past month including 1500 non-farm jobs.Some 800 of those jobs were in the hospitality industry(700 of those added in the past year) as tourism has rebounded.
In the farm sector there were 4500 jobs in May 2012 compared to 4400 in May 2011.
There were 500 more construction jobs in May 2012 compared to May 2011 likely due to the solar projects in eastern SLO county.
The EDD reports show a larger labor force in May 2012 at 142,300 – 2.1% higher than year ago – as more people are looking for work.But there are more jobs with employment up 3.2% year over year.
California’s unemployment rate in May dropped to 10.4% compared to 10.5% in April and 11.4% in May 2011.
THE FUTURE OF JOBS IN SLO
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – A public workshop is planned to review a draft of the City’s Economic Development Strategy. At this workshop, participants will review a draft of the Plan and provide feedback on the proposed strategies and prioritization of the City’s future work efforts in support of the Plan.
The public workshop will be held on Thursday, June 21 at 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the City-County Library Community Room. Audience participation will be encouraged via a survey tool that collects responses from text messages and web browsers. In order to participate, attendees should bring their mobile devices.
Previously, three public workshops were held to gather input from residents and the business community. At these workshops, residents and representatives from the business community, Cal Poly and non-profit organizations provided robust feedback on a variety of topics associated with creating quality jobs. This public input was a significant source of information used to identify key issues and develop the Strategic Plan.
As part of the 2011-13 Financial Plan, the City Council approved Economic Development as a Major City Goal, with the objective to:
Increase focus on economic development.
Support creation of head of household jobs through developing strategies for infrastructure, focusing on promising growth sectors, and expediting desired economic activity.
Expand collaboration with Cal Poly, Cuesta, business community, and responsible agencies.
More information about the workshops can be found at http://www.slocity.org/economicdevelopment/strategicplan/plan.asp.
For more information, visit the City’s website at www.slocity.org. For questions, please contact Michael Codron, Assistant City Manager (mcodron@slocity.org) or Claire Clark, Economic Development Manager.