Study shows cybersecurity industry impacts 16.5k jobs
In 2012, then FBI Director Robert Mueller stood up at a cybersecurity conference and said, “There are two types of companies- those who have been hacked and those that will be.”
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company, military contractor, genomics company or a neighborhood restaurant, cybersecurity has become ubiquitous for all businesses. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, an estimated $1 trillion will be spent on cybersecurity from 2017 to 2021. These global businesses may have San Diego – or rather one of its 100 plus cyber firms – to thank for that.
A new study released this week by San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence, with research by San Diego Regional EDC, provided additional insights on the impact of San Diego’s cyber economy. In total, 104 core cyber firms employ 4,230 people in the region. SPAWAR, the Navy’s cybersecurity and R&D arm, employs an additional 3,390 in the cyber industry.
According to the study, San Diego’s cybersecurity industry generates more than $1.9 billion in GDP and impacts 16,580 jobs annually – equivalent to hosting four Super Bowls or 14 Comic-Cons each year – and has grown by more than 26 percent in just two years, since EDC’s last cyber study.
“San Diego is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the ever-growing global demand for cybersecurity products and security,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “This study shows how the convergence of the innovation economy, education and research, and department of defense presence creates a fertile ecosystem for companies and talent.”
San Diego, with its strong concentration of military personnel, has a growing a base of software jobs and university specializations, which benefits from a rich pool of cybersecurity talent. It’s one of the reasons companies such as ESET and iboss have set up shop here. More than 51,000 technology specialists call San Diego home and work in a variety of cybersecurity-related occupations. Employers surveyed expect their cybersecurity workforce to grow by 13 percent in the next year compared to projected 2 percent overall regional job growth.
Research Q2 2016
Diverse transportation infrastructure is an investment in the regional economy
With over 3.2 million people and nearly 1.5 million jobs in the San Diego region today, San Diego’s extensive network of highways, roads, rail lines and public transit serves as the backbone of our economy. Essential for the movement of people and goods in and around the region, transportation infrastructure strengthens the regional economy and promotes future economic growth. Expansions and enhancements to roads, highways and public transit reduce congestion, decrease travel times and increase business productivity and overall economic competitiveness.
First approved by voters in 1988, TransNet – the region’s half-cent sales tax – has funded a variety of local transportation projects including roads, highway, public transit and active transportation. Since its inception, nearly $3.3 billion in funds collected by TransNet have been leveraged with nearly $10 billion more from federal, state and local funding sources to deliver more than 650 projects throughout the region. EDC released an economic impact analysis of TransNet, which reveals how investments in transportation over the last 25 years have impacted San Diego’s economy.
TransNet has a $20 billion economic impact.
650 projects have been completed to date, including 6,500 acres preserved as open space.
Every $1 collected in TransNet taxes results in a $1.70 increase in the region’s GDP.
TransNet supports 5,300 jobs annually and has contributed $9 billion in total local wages.
Regional benefits from infrastructure investment include 12.4 million hours of commute time savings and $500 million in travel time savings annually.
Manpower Employment Report: January 2016
“The local economy picked up steam in January after slowing a bit toward the end of 2015 – a typical trend as seasonal, holiday jobs phase out. Key sectors like manufacturing, construction, engineering, and health care all posted outstanding figures this month. These trends are also reflected in the demand for staffing services, which posted seven percent growth in employment in January.”
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) released statewide county employment data today for the January 2016 period, as well as revisions for 2015. This month’s data shows that San Diego's labor market fundamentals remained strong, as unemployment continued to fall amid solid and steady job growth.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent in January, the lowest since September 2007. The rate is down 0.1 points from the revised December number and 1.2 points from the previous year. The San Diego rate remained much lower than the statewide unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. The national unemployment rate rose substantially to 5.3 percent, well above the San Diego rate. The rate dropped in part due to a typical seasonal decline in the labor force from December to January, but the annual labor force increased by 6,100, with 16,900 fewer unemployed persons since January 2015.
Employment dropped back below 1.4 million in January, but seasonal declines are typical after the holiday season. More importantly, year-over-year employment went up by 38,200, a 2.8 percent increase. San Diego’s growth rate was again much higher than the 1.9 percent national rate. While the year-over-year growth slowed as 2015 progressed, the growth rate climbed again in January, which is a positive sign of momentum in the region.
The private sector drove employment growth in January, as private employment accounted for 90.3 percent of all employment growth over the year. The total private sector grew by 3.1 percent year-over-year, out-pacing the private U.S. growth rate of 2.2 percent.
Private growth was driven largely by service providers, but goods producers experienced another strong month. Manufacturers and construction companies drove 24.0 percent of private job growth in January. The two industries added a combined 8,300 jobs in January. The manufacturing industry in particular had a very strong month, posting 3.4 percent growth, compared to the national growth rate of 0.4 percent in the industry. Revisions showed that 2015 was an even stronger year than previously understood, with an annual 2015 growth average of 3.7 percent.
Professional, scientific, and technical (PST) services, which is strongly associated with the region’s innovation economy, slowed substantially in January, but it is unclear if there are complications with the EDD revision. Prior to the revision, the industry showed6.6 percent growth in 2015. With revisions, that growth is only 1.9 percent. It is unclear if job growth previously categorized as PST was moved to another sector like manufacturing or management, as national revised figures don't show the same dramatic shift. Architecture and engineering, a subset of PST services, showed solid growth of 5.1 percent despite the overall PST figure.
Other key drivers for growth included the region’s healthcare sector, which added 7,100 jobs and accounted for roughly one fifth of the region’s private job growth in January. Tourism experienced strong year-over-year growth, adding 5,900 jobs and contributing to 17.1 percent of growth.
In all, the January report released today showed many continued positive signs for San Diego's economy. The dramatic adjustment to PST employment raises some questions, and we will have to wait and see what was behind this revision by EDD. Otherwise, the region posted another month of solid yearly job growth, in large part due to the booming manufacturing and construction industries. Unemployment fell despite statewide and nationwide increases, and growth was spread out across a variety of key high-wage and base sectors in the region.
San Diego at forefront of aerospace innovation
As I fly over Palmdale and glance down at one of the last large aerospace manufacturing facilities in the Southern California, it is a reminder that the aerospace industry as a whole is experiencing dramatic change. Some of the large industrial centers still exist and are highlights of the heritage of the industry. But the landscape as a whole is changing.
San Diego is the place where Charles Lindbergh built the Spirit of St Louis and since then, Southern California has been at the forefront of aerospace innovation. Today, it continues to be a hub for innovators looking to push the envelope. But instead of erecting more large manufacturing facilities, we will see this innovation in entrepreneurs and startups, in tech companies that are entering the industry, and in legacy industry leaders who are pioneering new technologies, and driving convergence with other tech sectors to create new capabilities.
Now, we are creating new sensors and systems to push the envelope even further. The James Webb Space Telescope being developed by Northrop Grumman in El Segundo will give us the most comprehensive look at the universe to date. The technology developed at ViaSat in Carlsbad is creating the fastest satellite broadband available to the public. San Diego is also home to Brain Corporation, 5D Robotics and the Center of Excellence for Northrop Grumman’s unmanned systems division. These companies, among others, are creating systems that will work autonomously to take on the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks that put people, both services members and private citizens, at risk.
So how do we quantify this activity? Through a report by the Los Angeles County EDC and San Diego Regional EDC covering the eight county Southern California region, we learned there are over 85,000 direct jobs in our aerospace industry. The total employment impact is nearly a quarter million people and it’s growing. In San Diego County alone, the industry has grown by 66.7 percent since 2004.
The rich heritage of the industry has brought companies and talent to Southern California and San Diego to create a formidable ecosystem. But there are challenges. As we move forward, we must continue to support our aerospace manufacturers. We must also be proactive in identifying and supporting new sectors by aligning our universities to stay at the forefront of research and innovation, and working with the state to refute the claims that aerospace is a dying industry. Finally, we must stay at the forefront of the convergence between tech and aerospace, as it will continue to be where Southern California and San Diego can lead the industry.
Even with new large contracts to develop platforms like the Long Range Strike Bomber, we must realize that as a percentage, those in the industry will be fewer on the factory floor, and more in labs and behind computers.
It is an exciting time for the aerospace industry in Southern California. The ecosystem is changing rapidly. It brings with it opportunity for seemingly endless growth and development of new technologies.
For more information, see the full study and fact sh eet.
Study: Aerospace industry nearly 250,000 jobs strong
The notion that the aerospace industry is in decline is dead wrong. And now, thanks to a study conducted by Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) in partnership with San Diego Regional EDC, we have the numbers to prove it. Released today, The Changing Face of Aerospace in Southern California, provides an in-depth analysis that describes the highly developed industry cluster across eight Southern California counties. In total, the industry impacts nearly 250,000 jobs throughout Southern California.
Across the Southern California region, aerospace directly accounted for 85,500 jobs – 14 percent of the US industry employment. Additionally, San Diego is home to 12,040 aerospace jobs – approximately 14 percent of Southern California’s aerospace industry. With industry wages averaging $105,715 a year, aerospace workers are among the highest-paid in the SoCal region- almost twice the average pay of other industries.
Thanks to Northrop Grumman’s Unmanned Center of Excellence in Rancho Bernardo and SPAWAR – the Navy’s R&D arm in San Diego – San Diego excels in aerospace technologies.
The aerospace industry not only serves as a crucial pillar of our statewide defense strategy, but with the rise of UAVs and robotics, it also represents a new frontier of innovation – one that is dependent on strong statewide support and innovative policies. The report was released as part of Southern California Aerospace Day in Sacramento
The report was made possible through the generous funding of Bank of America, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting, Northrop Grumman Corporation and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).
For more information, see the fact sheet.
Manpower Employment Report: September 2015
“The September employment report was even better than expected, as the regional economy looks to be picking up speed toward the end of 2015. We saw a disappointing national jobs report released earlier this month, but it was just the opposite in San Diego, with outstanding job growth driven by our construction, manufacturing, and technology sectors.”
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) released statewide county employment data today for the September 2015 period. This month’s data shows that after another weak U.S. jobs report released earlier this month, San Diego showed more strong signs of growth led by important traded sectors and sectors with high-wages.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in September, which is the lowest it has been since June 2007. The rate is 1.5 points lower than the previous year and 0.5 points lower than the previous month. The California and U.S. average rates also fell to 5.5 and 4.9 percent, respectively, but San Diego remained lower than the state and national averages.
San Diego’s rate fell both due to a large drop in persons who identified as unemployed, as well as a small seasonal drop in the labor force—similar to the trend from July to August, but more dramatic. More importantly though, the labor force is up by 22,300 people from September 2014 and unemployment is down 21,900 people over that same period—all amid solid and increasing employment growth.
Just like last month, we should note that non-seasonally adjusted employment data for the summer-to-fall months is almost always filled with wild swings in the labor force, and in turn, the unemployment rate will experience big swings. This is largely due to thousands of high school and college students entering the labor force in May and June, then leaving again in August and September as they return to school. Similarly, education workers who do not work in the summer are not counted in the labor force during those months, and we see a 4,000-5,000 job spike in government employment once they return in September. Therefore, summer swings from month-to-month should be taken with a grain of salt, while the focus should instead be on how the labor force and unemployment rate are performing differently from the year prior. In this case, we again saw strong annual figures, indicating a healthy unemployment rate.
On that note, the region’s economy continued to steadily grow well-above three percent, despite another disappointing national report. San Diego’s total nonfarm employment grew by 3.5 percent year-over-year, adding 46,900 jobs from September 2014 to September 2015. San Diego’s growth rate was again much higher than the 2.1 percent national rate. The San Diego region is still expected to average 3.1 percent annual growth in 2015, compared to only 2.3 percent in 2014.
Year-over-year private sector growth continues to be outstanding, as private employment drove 91.5 percent of all employment growth. The total private sector grew by 3.8 percent, out-pacing the private U.S. growth rate of 2.4 percent. More than three-quarters of all year-over-year private job growth in San Diego came from four key sectors: construction, tourism, healthcare, and professional, scientific and technical services (PST).
PST services, which is strongly associated with the region's innovation economy, grew by 7.4 percent and was one of the highest growth industries in the region.
Growth in goods-producing industries picked back up in September, accounting for 17.5 percent of all private job growth. From September 2014 to September 2015, the manufacturing industry added 2,500 jobs and grew by 2.6 percent, which is higher than recent months. The ship and boat building industry continued to grow at an outstanding rate. Meanwhile, the construction industry added 5,000 jobs and grew by 7.7 percent. This is usually a period when goods-producers experience seasonal August to September declines, but in this month's report, we actually saw seasonal growth in goods-producing industries—a good sign for the economy.
Other key drivers for growth included the region’s healthcare sector, which added 7,800 jobs and accounted for approximately 18.2 percent of the region’s private job growth. After signs of slowing last month, tourism industry growth picked back up, adding 10,100 jobs and accounting for 23.5 percent of the region’s growth. Tourism growth was driven largely by bars and restaurants, which added 8,200 jobs since last September.
Given another sluggish national jobs report, the September employment report again defied national trends and showed very strong signs of a healthy economy. Employment growth picked up and the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in more than seven years. Moreover, 21,900 fewer San Diegans are unemployed than they were in September of 2014 and 22,300 more have entered the labor force. Important goods-producing sectors like manufacturing and construction are growing at high and steady rates, which is a great sign for the region's economy. As we enter the final quarter of 2015, the region appears to be in great shape to close the year.
Study shows cybersecurity industry impacts 16.5k jobs
In 2012, then FBI Director Robert Mueller stood up at a cybersecurity conference and said, “There are two types of companies- those who have been hacked and those that will be.”
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company, military contractor, genomics company or a neighborhood restaurant, cybersecurity has become ubiquitous for all businesses. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, an estimated $1 trillion will be spent on cybersecurity from 2017 to 2021. These global businesses may have San Diego – or rather one of its 100 plus cyber firms – to thank for that.
A new study released this week by San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence, with research by San Diego Regional EDC, provided additional insights on the impact of San Diego’s cyber economy. In total, 104 core cyber firms employ 4,230 people in the region. SPAWAR, the Navy’s cybersecurity and R&D arm, employs an additional 3,390 in the cyber industry.
According to the study, San Diego’s cybersecurity industry generates more than $1.9 billion in GDP and impacts 16,580 jobs annually – equivalent to hosting four Super Bowls or 14 Comic-Cons each year – and has grown by more than 26 percent in just two years, since EDC’s last cyber study.
“San Diego is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the ever-growing global demand for cybersecurity products and security,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “This study shows how the convergence of the innovation economy, education and research, and department of defense presence creates a fertile ecosystem for companies and talent.”
San Diego, with its strong concentration of military personnel, has a growing a base of software jobs and university specializations, which benefits from a rich pool of cybersecurity talent. It’s one of the reasons companies such as ESET and iboss have set up shop here. More than 51,000 technology specialists call San Diego home and work in a variety of cybersecurity-related occupations. Employers surveyed expect their cybersecurity workforce to grow by 13 percent in the next year compared to projected 2 percent overall regional job growth.
Research Q2 2016
Diverse transportation infrastructure is an investment in the regional economy
With over 3.2 million people and nearly 1.5 million jobs in the San Diego region today, San Diego’s extensive network of highways, roads, rail lines and public transit serves as the backbone of our economy. Essential for the movement of people and goods in and around the region, transportation infrastructure strengthens the regional economy and promotes future economic growth. Expansions and enhancements to roads, highways and public transit reduce congestion, decrease travel times and increase business productivity and overall economic competitiveness.
First approved by voters in 1988, TransNet – the region’s half-cent sales tax – has funded a variety of local transportation projects including roads, highway, public transit and active transportation. Since its inception, nearly $3.3 billion in funds collected by TransNet have been leveraged with nearly $10 billion more from federal, state and local funding sources to deliver more than 650 projects throughout the region. EDC released an economic impact analysis of TransNet, which reveals how investments in transportation over the last 25 years have impacted San Diego’s economy.
TransNet has a $20 billion economic impact.
650 projects have been completed to date, including 6,500 acres preserved as open space.
Every $1 collected in TransNet taxes results in a $1.70 increase in the region’s GDP.
TransNet supports 5,300 jobs annually and has contributed $9 billion in total local wages.
Regional benefits from infrastructure investment include 12.4 million hours of commute time savings and $500 million in travel time savings annually.
Manpower Employment Report: January 2016
“The local economy picked up steam in January after slowing a bit toward the end of 2015 – a typical trend as seasonal, holiday jobs phase out. Key sectors like manufacturing, construction, engineering, and health care all posted outstanding figures this month. These trends are also reflected in the demand for staffing services, which posted seven percent growth in employment in January.”
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) released statewide county employment data today for the January 2016 period, as well as revisions for 2015. This month’s data shows that San Diego's labor market fundamentals remained strong, as unemployment continued to fall amid solid and steady job growth.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent in January, the lowest since September 2007. The rate is down 0.1 points from the revised December number and 1.2 points from the previous year. The San Diego rate remained much lower than the statewide unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. The national unemployment rate rose substantially to 5.3 percent, well above the San Diego rate. The rate dropped in part due to a typical seasonal decline in the labor force from December to January, but the annual labor force increased by 6,100, with 16,900 fewer unemployed persons since January 2015.
Employment dropped back below 1.4 million in January, but seasonal declines are typical after the holiday season. More importantly, year-over-year employment went up by 38,200, a 2.8 percent increase. San Diego’s growth rate was again much higher than the 1.9 percent national rate. While the year-over-year growth slowed as 2015 progressed, the growth rate climbed again in January, which is a positive sign of momentum in the region.
The private sector drove employment growth in January, as private employment accounted for 90.3 percent of all employment growth over the year. The total private sector grew by 3.1 percent year-over-year, out-pacing the private U.S. growth rate of 2.2 percent.
Private growth was driven largely by service providers, but goods producers experienced another strong month. Manufacturers and construction companies drove 24.0 percent of private job growth in January. The two industries added a combined 8,300 jobs in January. The manufacturing industry in particular had a very strong month, posting 3.4 percent growth, compared to the national growth rate of 0.4 percent in the industry. Revisions showed that 2015 was an even stronger year than previously understood, with an annual 2015 growth average of 3.7 percent.
Professional, scientific, and technical (PST) services, which is strongly associated with the region’s innovation economy, slowed substantially in January, but it is unclear if there are complications with the EDD revision. Prior to the revision, the industry showed6.6 percent growth in 2015. With revisions, that growth is only 1.9 percent. It is unclear if job growth previously categorized as PST was moved to another sector like manufacturing or management, as national revised figures don't show the same dramatic shift. Architecture and engineering, a subset of PST services, showed solid growth of 5.1 percent despite the overall PST figure.
Other key drivers for growth included the region’s healthcare sector, which added 7,100 jobs and accounted for roughly one fifth of the region’s private job growth in January. Tourism experienced strong year-over-year growth, adding 5,900 jobs and contributing to 17.1 percent of growth.
In all, the January report released today showed many continued positive signs for San Diego's economy. The dramatic adjustment to PST employment raises some questions, and we will have to wait and see what was behind this revision by EDD. Otherwise, the region posted another month of solid yearly job growth, in large part due to the booming manufacturing and construction industries. Unemployment fell despite statewide and nationwide increases, and growth was spread out across a variety of key high-wage and base sectors in the region.
San Diego at forefront of aerospace innovation
As I fly over Palmdale and glance down at one of the last large aerospace manufacturing facilities in the Southern California, it is a reminder that the aerospace industry as a whole is experiencing dramatic change. Some of the large industrial centers still exist and are highlights of the heritage of the industry. But the landscape as a whole is changing.
San Diego is the place where Charles Lindbergh built the Spirit of St Louis and since then, Southern California has been at the forefront of aerospace innovation. Today, it continues to be a hub for innovators looking to push the envelope. But instead of erecting more large manufacturing facilities, we will see this innovation in entrepreneurs and startups, in tech companies that are entering the industry, and in legacy industry leaders who are pioneering new technologies, and driving convergence with other tech sectors to create new capabilities.
Now, we are creating new sensors and systems to push the envelope even further. The James Webb Space Telescope being developed by Nor
throp Grumman in El Segundo will give us the most comprehensive look at the universe to date. The technology developed at ViaSat in Carlsbad is creating the fastest satellite broadband available to the public. San Diego is also home to Brain Corporation, 5D Robotics and the Center of Excellence for Northrop Grumman’s unmanned systems division. These companies, among others, are creating systems that will work autonomously to take on the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks that put people, both services members and private citizens, at risk.
So how do we quantify this activity? Through a report by the Los Angeles County EDC and San Diego Regional EDC covering the eight county Southern California region, we learned there are over 85,000 direct jobs in our aerospace industry. The total employment impact is nearly a quarter million people and it’s growing. In San Diego County alone, the industry has grown by 66.7 percent since 2004.
The rich heritage of the industry has brought companies and talent to Southern California and San Diego to create a formidable ecosystem. But there are challenges. As we move forward, we must continue to support our aerospace manufacturers. We must also be proactive in identifying and supporting new sectors by aligning our universities to stay at the forefront of research and innovation, and working with the state to refute the claims that aerospace is a dying industry. Finally, we must stay at the forefront of the convergence between tech and aerospace, as it will continue to be where Southern California and San Diego can lead the industry.
Even with new large contracts to develop platforms like the Long Range Strike Bomber, we must realize that as a percentage, those in the industry will be fewer on the factory floor, and more in labs and behind computers.
It is an exciting time for the aerospace industry in Southern California. The ecosystem is changing rapidly. It brings with it opportunity for seemingly endless growth and development of new technologies.
For more information, see the full study and fact sh eet.
Study: Aerospace industry nearly 250,000 jobs strong
The notion that the aerospace industry is in decline is dead wrong. And now, thanks to a study conducted by Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) in partnership with San Diego Regional EDC, we have the numbers to prove it. Released today, The Changing Face of Aerospace in Southern California, provides an in-depth analysis that describes the highly developed industry cluster across eight Southern California counties. In total, the industry impacts nearly 250,000 jobs throughout Southern California.
Across the Southern California region, aerospace directly accounted for 85,500 jobs – 14 percent of the US industry employment. Additionally, San Diego is home to 12,040 aerospace jobs – approximately 14 percent of Southern California’s aerospace industry. With industry wages averaging $105,715 a year, aerospace workers are among the highest-paid in the SoCal region- almost twice the average pay of other industries.
Thanks to Northrop Grumman’s Unmanned Center of Excellence in Rancho Bernardo and SPAWAR – the Navy’s R&D arm in San Diego – San Diego excels in aerospace technologies.
The aerospace industry not only serves as a crucial pillar of our statewide defense strategy, but with the rise of UAVs and robotics, it also represents a new frontier of innovation – one that is dependent on strong statewide support and innovative policies. The report was released as part of Southern California Aerospace Day in Sacramento
The report was made possible through the generous funding of Bank of America, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting, Northrop Grumman Corporation and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).
For more information, see the fact sheet.
Manpower Employment Report: September 2015
“The September employment report was even better than expected, as the regional economy looks to be picking up speed toward the end of 2015. We saw a disappointing national jobs report released earlier this month, but it was just the opposite in San Diego, with outstanding job growth driven by our construction, manufacturing, and technology sectors.”
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) released statewide county employment data today for the September 2015 period. This month’s data shows that after another weak U.S. jobs report released earlier this month, San Diego showed more strong signs of growth led by important traded sectors and sectors with high-wages.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in September, which is the lowest it has been since June 2007. The rate is 1.5 points lower than the previous year and 0.5 points lower than the previous month. The California and U.S. average rates also fell to 5.5 and 4.9 percent, respectively, but San Diego remained lower than the state and national averages.
San Diego’s rate fell both due to a large drop in persons who identified as unemployed, as well as a small seasonal drop in the labor force—similar to the trend from July to August, but more dramatic. More importantly though, the labor force is up by 22,300 people from September 2014 and unemployment is down 21,900 people over that same period—all amid solid and increasing employment growth.
Just like last month, we should note that non-seasonally adjusted employment data for the summer-to-fall months is almost always filled with wild swings in the labor force, and in turn, the unemployment rate will experience big swings. This is largely due to thousands of high school and college students entering the labor force in May and June, then leaving again in August and September as they return to school. Similarly, education workers who do not work in the summer are not counted in the labor force during those months, and we see a 4,000-5,000 job spike in government employment once they return in September. Therefore, summer swings from month-to-month should be taken with a grain of salt, while the focus should instead be on how the labor force and unemployment rate are performing differently from the year prior. In this case, we again saw strong annual figures, indicating a healthy unemployment rate.
On that note, the region’s economy continued to steadily grow well-above three percent, despite another disappointing national report. San Diego’s total nonfarm employment grew by 3.5 percent year-over-year, adding 46,900 jobs from September 2014 to September 2015. San Diego’s growth rate was again much higher than the 2.1 percent national rate. The San Diego region is still expected to average 3.1 percent annual growth in 2015, compared to only 2.3 percent in 2014.
Year-over-year private sector growth continues to be outstanding, as private employment drove 91.5 percent of all employment growth. The total private sector grew by 3.8 percent, out-pacing the private U.S. growth rate of 2.4 percent. More than three-quarters of all year-over-year private job growth in San Diego came from four key sectors: construction, tourism, healthcare, and professional, scientific and technical services (PST).
PST services, which is strongly associated with the region's innovation economy, grew by 7.4 percent and was one of the highest growth industries in the region.
Growth in goods-producing industries picked back up in September, accounting for 17.5 percent of all private job growth. From September 2014 to September 2015, the manufacturing industry added 2,500 jobs and grew by 2.6 percent, which is higher than recent months. The ship and boat building industry continued to grow at an outstanding rate. Meanwhile, the construction industry added 5,000 jobs and grew by 7.7 percent. This is usually a period when goods-producers experience seasonal August to September declines, but in this month's report, we actually saw seasonal growth in goods-producing industries—a good sign for the economy.
Other key drivers for growth included the region’s healthcare sector, which added 7,800 jobs and accounted for approximately 18.2 percent of the region’s private job growth. After signs of slowing last month, tourism industry growth picked back up, adding 10,100 jobs and accounting for 23.5 percent of the region’s growth. Tourism growth was driven largely by bars and restaurants, which added 8,200 jobs since last September.
Given another sluggish national jobs report, the September employment report again defied national trends and showed very strong signs of a healthy economy. Employment growth picked up and the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in more than seven years. Moreover, 21,900 fewer San Diegans are unemployed than they were in September of 2014 and 22,300 more have entered the labor force. Important goods-producing sectors like manufacturing and construction are growing at high and steady rates, which is a great sign for the region's economy. As we enter the final quarter of 2015, the region appears to be in great shape to close the year.