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<br />EMPLOYMENT TRENDS AND CHARACTERISTICS <br /> <br />Covered Emplovment <br /> <br />~ Table 13 shows that while the number of businesses has expanded slightly (3.5%), the <br />number of employees has fallen by 28,765, or 2.2%, revealing no growth over the past <br />six years. Manufacturing saw the largest decline in employee numbers (20%), while edu- <br />cation and health services saw the largest increase (23%). Construction, retail, informa- <br />tion, leisure and hospitality all lost jobs during the same period. <br /> <br />~ While wages went up overall between 2000 and 2006, there was a loss of 2,770 positions, <br />causing a 5.5% downturn. Professional and Business Services was the largest employer <br />during this time, but it lost approximately 600 businesses during the period and shed <br />12,770 employees. The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector was the next largest <br />employer with over 112,000 employees in 2006. However, that employment category al- <br />so saw a downturn between 2000 and 2006, with a loss of over 10,000 employees, or 8% <br />of its workforce. Information systems lost over 11,000 employees, for a loss of27% and <br />manufacturing also took a hit, with a loss of just under 29,000 workers, or 17% of its <br />workforce. <br /> <br />~ The Education and Health Services Category experienced the largest increase in jobs over <br />the five-year period, adding nearly 34,000 jobs (23%). Other growing industries in- <br />cluded: Financial Activities, adding 7,247 employees over six years, and Leisure and <br />Hospitality growing by 7%. While the number of businesses in the three-county area <br />grew by 2,253, the number of employees declined during that period by nearly 29,000 <br />workers. Overall, employment experienced a 2.2% decline. <br /> <br />~ The lack of job grow1h in the Metro Area has been a contributing factor to the slow hous- <br />ing market. 1n the short -term, this will impact absorption of new units at any housing de- <br />velopment, including TCAAP. The decline in building permits shown in Table 8 is partly <br />due to this lack of job grow1h. <br /> <br />MAXFIELD RESEARCH INC. <br /> <br />35 <br />