Category: News

San Diego’s Economic Pulse: September 2020

By Jordan Latchford,

Each month the California Employment Development Department (EDD) releases employment data for the prior month. This edition of San Diego’s Economic Pulse covers August 2020 and reflects some effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the labor market. Check out EDC’s research bureau for more data and stats about San Diego’s economy.

Key Takeaways

  1. Unemployment drops sharply to 9.9 percent; remains highest in the unincorporated parts of the County.
  1. Employment up in nearly all industries, up 20,500 jobs month over month.
  1. Low-wage job losses are nearly 30 times greater than high-wage job losses.

Unemployment Drops

The region’s unemployment rate was 9.9 percent in August down from a revised 12.4 percent in July 2020, and far above the year-ago estimate of 3.4 percent. Unemployment declined monthly as the region continues to reopen and jobs recover. San Diego’s unemployment rate remains lower than the state unemployment rate of 11.6 percent, but higher than the national unemployment rate of 8.5 percent.

Unemployment was highest in the unincorporated areas of Bostonia (17.9%), Bonita (14.7%), Spring Valley (13.6%), and in the cities of National City (13.7%) and El Cajon (13.6%), and lowest in the cities of Solana Beach (5.5%), Poway (6.8%), Coronado (6.8%), Del Mar (7.3%), and Encinitas (7.3%). Wealthier areas are enjoying lower rates of unemployment, while neighborhoods with a larger share of lower-paid workers suffer from higher rates of unemployment – elaborated on below.

Employment Bounces Back

Total nonfarm employment increased in August, up 20,500 jobs. This follows similar patterns to the state and national data. In California, nonfarm employment increased by 140,400 in August from the month prior, while payroll employment increased by 1.4 million in the U.S. during the same time period.

However, compared to a year ago, San Diego nonfarm employment remains down 135,800 jobs or 9 percent. In California, total nonfarm employment is down 1.6 million jobs, or 8 percent compared to a year ago, while the U.S. is down nearly 13 million jobs, or 8.8 percent.

Sector Employment Gradually Returning

Government accounted for the largest monthly gains, adding 6,800 jobs in August, primarily concentrated in local government education (up 4,300 jobs) after last month’s large decline. Compared to a year ago, local government education is still down 11,400 jobs.

Professional and business services followed with an increase of 5,300 jobs. Most of those job gains were in the administration and support services sector, which added 3,100 jobs to the region.

Construction employment increased this month, adding 3,100 jobs.

Trade, transportation, and utilities employment increased this month, adding 2,600 jobs. This was driven primarily by retail, which added 2,300 jobs.

Leisure and hospitality employment as a whole declined by 400 jobs in August. Encouragingly, however, restaurants added 700 jobs last month amid measured reopenings across the region.

Recovery Must Focus on Low-Wage Workers

Despite the gains observed in August, industry employment remains well below levels a year ago. The largest decline in employment has been in leisure and hospitality, which is down 60,100 jobs (shown in the chart above), or 29 percent since August 2019. Most of those leisure and hospitality job losses are concentrated in accommodation and food services, with a loss of 43,900 jobs. Trade, transportation, and utilities are down 17,100 jobs, with 11,700 of those jobs in retail. Government is down 15,400 jobs annually, with 14,000 local government jobs lost.

The lowest wages in San Diego County are concentrated in the sectors hardest hit by COVID-19: accommodation and food services, retail trade, arts, entertainment, and recreation, and educational services. Average wages for accommodation and food services are $30,560, retail trade are $41,785, arts, entertainment, and recreation are $45,040, and educational services are $49,826. Each sector hit hardest by COVID19 falls below the median regional wage of $73,596.

Layoffs in low-wage sectors have occurred at a rate much higher than those in high-wage sectors. According to Opportunity Insights, low wage jobs are down 31.8 percent. Meanwhile, high wage jobs are down only 1.8 percent.

Consumer spending has also suffered as wages continue to drop, especially for lower-wage employees. While low-wage workers hold less spending power, they spend more of their paychecks directly, rather than investments or savings. We can expect to see a larger proportion of spending come back into the economy as lower-paid employees get their jobs back, and ultimately advance to better paying positions over time.

Every previous economic recovery has increased systemic poverty and widened inequality. Too often in a rush to restore normalcy, entire segments of our community have been left further behind. The stakes could not be higher that we get this recovery right. We must rebuild an economy that is more resilient than before, so prosperity reaches more people. Read more about EDC’s recovery framework.

EDC is here to help. You can use the button below to request our assistance with finding information, applying to relief programs, and more.

Request EDC assistance

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San Diego Science & the Global Pandemic: A Recap

By Taylor Dunne,

San Diego Science & the Global Pandemic: a Recap

In August, San Diego: Life. Changing., a program of San Diego Regional EDC, wrapped up a series of virtual events highlighting the innovation economy and spirit of collaboration that exist in San Diego. The series looked at how the life sciences industry is playing a role in shaping the pandemic, and life after the pandemic, for our region.

The series kicked off in May through a partnership with Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., featuring a research institution searching for a vaccine, a therapeutics company working on a treatment, and a med-tech company developing ventilators and other devices to aid in COVID-19 treatment. The expert panel included Dr. Sumit Chanda, professor and director at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute; Joseph E. Payne, president and CEO of Arcturus Therapeutics; and John Stevens, VP of IT at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

San Diego: where collaboration happens.

The scientists that participated in the first webinar agreed that the collaborative spirit of San Diego is what makes the life-changing work that happens here possible. Dr. Chanda stated:

“I don’t know if it’s the weather or the synergy, but the partnerships that happen here don’t happen anywhere else. We are working with Scripps, UC San Diego, and a number of local companies across different disciplines.”

Stevens agreed, in saying: “The partnerships are really important – different companies with everyone working together is truly how we’re going to combat this going forward.”[Thermo Fisher] has leveraged a lot of great relationships in the San Diego area. New partnerships come in every day, and I think it’s important to keep working together as one team.”

Then, in June, EDC partnered with investor Illumina to have genomics experts weigh in on the pandemic. We were joined by Gary Schroth, distinguished scientist and Vice President at Illumina, and James Lu, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Helix. Gary and James helped us untangle the complicated world of DNA and understand how next-generation genome sequencing is helping scientists understand the intricacies of COVID-19.

Still hiring!

In July, we took a break from the scientists and heard from some of San Diego’s top hiring professionals as they shared pro tips for finding new career opportunities during the global pandemic. Jessica Serrano, Sr. Director of Talent Acquisition and Talent Systems at Lytx; Chris Shoemaker, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at MindTouch; and Lee Wills, Head of Talent Acquisition and Employee Engagement for Sony North America shared their recommendations for finding and starting a new job while navigating this new remote-first environment. All three of these companies, and so many others, are still hiring for positions that could lead to a meaningful career in San Diego.

See the recorded event here

Stay inspired, San Diego.

Finally, with the help of trusted investor West Health, we wrapped the San Diego Science & the Global Pandemic webinar series up with a look at what he region is doing to ensure our senior population is receiving the care they deserve in a safe and accessible way as they continue to be among the most vulnerable to COVID-19. Moderated by Dr. Zia Agha, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of West Health, the conversation hit on the most important topics from food security for older adults, to dental care, to healthcare policies that will ensure long term success…as well as what WE can do to help the seniors in our community.

See the recorded event here

If you were able to tune in to our series, we hope that it provided you with some insight on the ongoing and impactful efforts of some of San Diego’s brightest, in a time in our world when we need it most. As always, San Diego steps up to change lives.

Good News of the Week – September 11, 2020

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of September 11, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

Economy in crisis: Local housing market stays hot, unaffordable despite COVID-19

COVID-19 has done little, if anything, to cool down San Diego’s hot housing market. Despite record job losses, the region’s lower mortgage rates, strong population growth, the addition of high-earning newcomers to the region, and a razor-thin inventory of available houses have fueled house price growth. Read More.

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance.

For businesses:

For individuals:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

San Diego’s economic recovery must be inclusive.

By Julian Parra,

A note from Our board chair

In 1967, my parents fled Cuba to seek freedom and a better life in the United States. Due to travel restrictions, they were forced to move to Spain, where I was born, before finally arriving in the City of Chicago in January 1968. My parents never dreamed that within a generation, their son would become a senior executive at one of the largest financial institutions in the world. Growing up in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, I certainly never thought that the community I would find myself living and investing in all these years later would be San Diego, California. Yet here I am.

As I take on the role of board chair for the next two years at San Diego Regional EDC, I am fortunate, blessed, and humbled by the opportunities that life has given me. I also recognize that my story is not the norm for Latino immigrants in this country and that my journey thus far is not particularly common for a city kid from Chicago. I feel both an obligation and responsibility to use this time at EDC wisely, effectively, and purposefully. And as the threats and realities of COVID-19 and racial injustice continue to grip our community and our economy, like many, I feel the urgency and the need to accelerate the recovery that lies in front of us.

From the years following the Great Depression to those following the Great Recession, every recovery that the American economy has experienced has increased systemic poverty and widened the inequalities in Latino and African American communities. Too often, in a rush to restore economic normalcy for some, entire segments of our communities have been left further behind and unable to find and maintain their footing on a new and changing economic foundation. Our commitment at EDC is to do everything we can—drawing on the breadth and depth of every partnership and relationship we have—to get this recovery right.

This recovery requires us to redouble our commitment to inclusive economic growth, so that we build back a San Diego that is more resilient because prosperity reaches more people. Even in the midst of great economic uncertainty, we know one thing for sure: the innovation economy will lead us out of this recession just like it has every one before it. If the business community is thoughtful, strategic, and collaborative in this moment, we can ensure a stronger, bolder, more resilient San Diego in the years ahead.

The building blocks are clear: skilled talent, quality jobs, and thriving households.

  1. The hottest job market in a generation has become the weakest. However, there are still shortages for in-demand jobs. This means we need to do better at equipping San Diegans for the jobs of today, and those of tomorrow.
  1. Nearly 30% of small businesses have closed. And we know small businesses employ the majority of San Diegans. This means we must invest in entrepreneurship and resiliency by creating opportunities for diverse founders, and better connecting small businesses to big customers.
  1. Housing prices and unemployment are both at record highs. The economy cannot recover if people cannot afford to live here. This means we must prioritize access to and affordability of the essential infrastructure that working families rely upon—like housing, childcare, and broadband.

If past economic, financial, education, and workforce decisions have exacerbated systemic poverty and created barriers to opportunity for so many, it follows that the decisions we make now can change the future for our children and grandchildren. And with nearly 200 of the region’s largest employers, hundreds of community partners, and the proud legacies of my family and culture behind me—I plan on seeing San Diego Regional EDC through a period of historic and inclusive growth. We will get this recovery right.

—Julian Parra, EDC board chair
& SVP, Region Executive, Pacific Southwest Business Banking, Bank of America

Visit our Inclusive SD page for more

See Julian’s op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune

Advancing San Diego Company Spotlight: Tourmaline Wireless

By Bree Burris,

The Advancing San Diego (ASD) Internship Program launched this Spring in a remote-capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to provide up to 100 San Diego-based companies with fully subsidized interns. This program targets companies with 100 employees or less, which comprise 98% of all businesses in San Diego, employ nearly two thirds of San Diegans, and account for 70 percent of job growth. A key issue for these companies has been a lack of time and resources to recruit the skilled talent necessary to continue their growth.

As students are closing out their Summer internship experiences, EDC is rolling out this blog series to highlight the innovative local companies that comprise the first cohort of the program, and the interns they hosted.

In this feature, we sat down with Paul Victorine, CTO and Co-Founder at Tourmaline Wireless, who hosted two ASD interns. A part of the inaugural cohort of host companies, Tourmaline Wireless is building the future of decentralized wireless telecommunications. The Oceanside-based company provides resilient, off-grid solutions based on mesh networks, 4G LTE, and Iridium satellite.

Why was your company founded, and what are your current points of focus? 

I started the company at the beginning of 2019, after having worked for a Tier-1 wireless operator for nearly 20 years. I jumped at the opportunity to start my own consulting business, leveraging an extensive background in deploying and optimizing cellular networks. Tourmaline is currently developing a new gateway product that will allow localized mesh networks to connect to geographically separated networks across the globe. This gateway will allow neighborhoods and communities affected by natural disasters to continue communicating with their loved ones. This allows for the sharing of hyper-local information and will support offline payment remittances in far-off corners of the world. It might even provide hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail a means of “checking-in” with friends and family at various mile markers. There are many use-cases we envision for the mesh gateway, and we are excited to see how our customers anticipate using the device too!

Tell us about your experience building a small business in San Diego. What resources, services and/or organizations were most valuable in supporting Tourmaline’s growth?

Building a startup in San Diego has been a great experience overall! Valuable resources include following San Diego Regional EDC, Innovate78, and the City of Oceanside. There is a ton of talent here in San Diego – largely coming out of the many colleges and universities spread throughout the county. There is also a surprising amount of resources available here that help support small business. I’ve been really impressed with all the grants, loans, and positive encouragement broadcast daily from San Diego Regional EDC.

How has your company pivoted as a result of COVID-19?

As a result of COVID-19, we decided to go all-in and focus exclusively on new product development as our day-to-day consulting jobs (designing, installing, and optimizing cellular in-building equipment) were mostly sidelined due to COVID-19.

Tell us a little bit about your interns and the value they bring.

We are currently hosting two college interns through the ASD program, who you’ll hear from in another blog post. One intern is soon graduating from UC San Diego, with a BS in Computer Science. Our second intern will be starting her Junior year at NYU, as a transfer from Mesa College, also studying Computer Science. The internship experience was definitely a challenge given its fully remote format. Plus, it was our first time hosting interns, but it turned out to be a rewarding experience for all of us. They helped troubleshoot and improve our existing software codebase, adding new features and functionality. We were able to meet up in-person (socially distanced, of course) for a field day of wireless range testing at Balboa Park. It was a fun experience and I think it helped the interns better understand the capability of wireless mesh communications.

In your opinion, what is special about San Diego’s science and technology community, and the talent that drives it?

San Diego has historically been a technology-driven community, from the early days with the focus on military and defense (companies like General Dynamics) to the early 2000’s being a wireless hotbed (including Qualcomm, Nokia, etc). Now we are starting to see software really taking hold here, with companies like Apple opening offices and building out their local workforce. San Diego really is the perfect choice for STEAM students to select for college and then stay to launch their careers.

Visit Tourmaline Wireless on web and Instagram.

Learn more about Advancing San Diego and our internship program.

Good News of the Week – September 4, 2020

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of September 4, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

San Diego’s Economic Snapshot: Q2 2020

Every quarter, EDC analyzes key economic indicators that are important to understanding the regional economy and the region’s standing relative to the 25 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S. In Q2 2020, San Diego’s venture capital funding expanded, commercial real estate vacancy rates jumped, and home prices rose. Learn more in our Economic Snapshot for Q2 2020. 

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance.

For businesses:

For individuals:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

Good News of the Week – August 28, 2020

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of August 28, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

San Diego’s Economic Snapshot: Q2 2020

Every quarter, EDC analyzes key economic indicators that are important to understanding the regional economy and the region’s standing relative to the 25 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S. The Economic Snapshot for Q2 2020 covers trends in employment, housing, and investment, including the $875 million influx of venture capital into healthcare as the industry pivoted to address the pandemic. Learn More.

Economy in crisis: SD tourism holds up, but the recovery remains uneven

While a number of industries are near pre-COVID-19 employment levels, positions at restaurants, personal services, & local government education (like administrators & janitors) have been slow to return–hitting already vulnerable San Diegans hardest. Learn More.

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance

For businesses:

For individuals:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

A legacy of discrimination: Redlining in San Diego

By Bree Burris,

Economic inequality is a pre-existing condition. And just like in the rest of the country, a history of housing discrimination and redlining policies has burdened San Diego with decades of mounting inequities that can still be seen and felt more than 80 years later.

Less than 20 miles apart, the 1938 redlining policy presented two vastly different lending practices that have shaped our socioeconomic reality decades later.

  • La Jolla: “Residents embrace nearly all types of professions and are all white. No threat of foreign infiltration. Homes are well maintained.”
  • Logan Heights: “Racial concentration of colored fraternity. Homes show only slight degree of pride of ownership and are on the average negligently maintained.”

Scroll over the map below to visualize how redlining policies set in 1938 still impact where people live and what they earn, today.

 

Today, San Diego is a majority-minority region, meaning no single race or ethnic group makes up more than 50% of the total population. It is a much larger, smarter, and more diverse region than it was 80 or 90 years ago, but we are still segregated. That is the legacy of deliberate investment in some parts of our county, and deliberate disinvestment in others. So, as we talk about getting this economic recovery right, we must address the ways in which communities of color and small businesses are most impacted.  It’s no coincidence the above map mirrors that of COVID-19 impacts.

Learn more about San Diego’s economic recovery

Good News of the Week – August 21, 2020

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of August 21, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

San Diego’s Economic Pulse: August 2020

Each month, the California Employment Development Department releases employment data for the prior month. This edition of San Diego’s Economic Pulse covers July 2020 and reflects some effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the labor market, assessing July’s 12.3 percent unemployment rate and San Diego’s road to recovery. Learn More.

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance

For businesses:

For individuals:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

San Diego’s Economic Pulse: August 2020

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Each month the California Employment Development Department (EDD) releases employment data for the prior month. This edition of San Diego’s Economic Pulse covers July 2020 and reflects some effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the labor market. Check out EDC’s research bureau for more data and stats about San Diego’s economy.

Unemployment Slightly Lower

The region’s unemployment rate was 12.3 percent in July down from a revised 13.8 percent in June 2020, and far above the year-ago estimate of 3.6 percent. Unemployment declined monthly as the region continues to reopen and jobs recover. The region’s unemployment rate remains lower than the state unemployment rate of 13.7 percent, but higher than the national unemployment rate of 10.5 percent.

Unemployment was highest in the unincorporated areas of Bostonia (21.8%), Bonita (18.0%), Spring Valley (16.7%), and in the cities of National City (16.5%) and El Cajon (16.4%). Unemployment was lowest in the cities of Solana Beach (6.9%), Poway (8.6%), Coronado (9.1%), and Del Mar (9.1%). Areas with large Hispanic populations are facing higher rates of unemployment, as Hispanics are disproportionally employed in the most vulnerable occupations.

Employment Continues to Decline

Total nonfarm employment fell in July, down 2,200 jobs. This differs from state and national data. In California, nonfarm employment increased by 15,370 in July from the month prior, while payroll employment increased by 1.8 million in the U.S. during the same time period.

Compared to a year ago, San Diego nonfarm employment remains down 144,400 jobs, or 10.2 percent. In California, total nonfarm employment is down 1.6 million jobs, or 8 percent compared to a year ago, while the U.S. is down nearly 13 million jobs, or 8.8 percent.

Sector Employment Split on Gains

Government accounted for the largest monthly losses, losing 12,800 jobs in July, primarily concentrated in local government education (down 13,200 jobs) and state government education (down 500 jobs). Compared to a year ago, local government education is down 8,300 jobs, and state government education is down 4,900 jobs. Local government education employment is largely women occupied (70 percent). Job losses in local and state government education have the potential to set back women in the workforce, a trend already exasperated by the pandemic according to a United Nations report.

Construction followed with a decline of 1,100 jobs. Construction of buildings declined both monthly and annually, which is especially important as the region continues to grapple with a housing affordability crisis. Without construction jobs, home building stops. Home price growth continues to outpace incomes, as housing production is about half the rate necessary to keep up with job and population growth. Ensuring San Diego is an attractive and affordable place for talent and business is critical to maintaining its regional competitiveness.

Trade, transportation, and utilities employment increased this month, adding 6,100 jobs. This was driven primarily by retail, which added 4,200 jobs. Clothing and clothing accessories stores grew by nearly 13 percent in July. As California clarified social distance retail guidelines, many retail stores were able to reopen, leading to an increase in employment.

The leisure and hospitality industry gained back 100 jobs in July, but remains down 60,800 jobs compared to a year ago. Nearly 40 percent of leisure and hospitality industry employees are Hispanic. These jobs are not likely to return in large numbers while social distancing remains in effect.

A Long Road to Recovery

Industry employment remains well below pre-pandemic levels seen in February 2020. The largest decline in employment has been the leisure and hospitality industry, down 49,500 jobs, or 25 percent. Government employment is down 30,200 jobs, educational and health services is down 20,300 jobs, and trade, transportation, and utilities, which includes retail, has lost 18,000 jobs since February.

While some jobs have been recovered, many will be lost permanently. Creative training programs to get these workers employed in growing occupations will be key to our economic recovery. Furthermore, the pandemic has exacerbated the inequities that have long-plagued the region, particularly our Hispanic population. Developing an economic recovery strategy that promotes inclusive growth is essential to ensuring our future economic competitiveness.

 

For more COVID-19 recovery resources and information, please visit this page.

EDC is here to help. You can use the button below to request our assistance with finding information, applying to relief programs, and more.

Request EDC assistance

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