Tag: COVID-19

Economy in crisis: SD job market rout continues, but opportunities emerge

By Nate Kelley,

We’ve seen and heard the unemployment numbers. But what does all of this really mean for our economic recovery in San Diego? Welcome to the ‘economy in crisis’ series – a bi-weekly breakdown of data at the national, state, and local level in the shadows of Covid-19. 

San Diego’s economy remains on hold as efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus continue. Roughly 3.5 million Californians have filed for unemployment benefits since March, comprising 13% of the US total. The number of active unemployment insurance claims in California is already triple the peak experienced during the 2008-2009 Great Recession, and it’s likely that the unemployment rate in San Diego will easily surpass the 11.1% peak reached during that time.

The job market rout is yet to be captured in the official employment data. According to the most recent jobs report, San Diego shed just over 10,000 jobs in March. However, last month’s employment numbers understate the full extent of job losses.

The impact on vulnerable local industries has been studied and documented. However, industry disruptions beyond arts & recreation, retail, wholesale, and accommodation & food services are becoming apparent. Oil and energy-related companies and non-emergency healthcare providers have shared in the pain.

Businesses with strong ties to oil have only a small footprint in the region, so the steep slide in crude prices in recent weeks is not likely to reverberate too loudly throughout the local economy. However, the healthcare industry runs fairly deep, accounting for roughly one in 10 local jobs. Hospitals and doctors’ offices—which are in high demand as the number of Coronavirus diagnoses has increased—employ between 60,000 and 65,000 people, but that still leaves well over 100,000 at-risk positions. Moreover, an estimated 460 additional jobs are lost in other sectors for every 1,000 jobs lost in non-emergency healthcare. Making matters worse is that employment estimates are notoriously unreliable during times of stress, and it could take months of data revisions before an accurate picture of the job market emerges.

building a stronger, more inclusive San Diego

Despite the immense pain and stress this downturn has caused, the coming recovery presents a prime opportunity to rebuild San Diego’s economy in a more inclusive, equitable way. A path can be built to link workers to training programs to prepare them for careers in industries that are struggling to fill open positions that pay considerably better and typically provide benefits. For example, health diagnostics and treatment occupations accounted for six times the share of job postings than total hires between 2016 and 2020, implying a severe shortage of qualified applicants. This is not isolated to just STEM-based positions, either; a similar trend has emerged for advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers.

According to Emsi, there was a 21% reduction in job postings over the past 30 days, including for the high-demand occupations listed above. Company hiring – or job postings – is expected to fall further before the crisis ends.  By looking at the imbalance of labor demand in the market, we can help shepherd workers toward occupations struggling to find talent. When viewed through a demand lens, we can take a targeted approach to develop training programs that may leave thousands of San Diegans better off than they were before the COVID-19 outbreak.

An Opportunity for Small Business Success

This recovery will also provide a chance to focus on small business formation and success among women and people of color who, historically, have been marginalized and received less access to startup capital. Nearly 96% of San Diego companies employ fewer than 50 workers and 61% employ fewer than 10 people, making this an especially important initiative to undertake.Pie chart of SD small businesses by number of employees

The “when” of the recovery remains a huge question mark, but the “how” of the recovery is coming into focus. EDC’s mission is to maximize prosperity within the region, and the opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient San Diego has arguably never been better than it is right now.

COVID-19 Recovery Resources

Regardless of how this all plays out, EDC is here to help. You can use the button below to request our assistance

Request EDC assistance

For general COVID-19 recovery resources and information, please view this page.

You also might like:

Mark Cafferty, Jerry Sanders: Recovery and Resiliency (Not Reopening)

By Mark Cafferty, Jerry Sanders,

Originally published on April 19 in the San Diego Business Journal, this excerpt is from the latest of EDC President and CEO Mark Cafferty’s weekly columns:

As we all settle in to the unfamiliar business and personal routines that have filled our days over the last several weeks, there is a lot of talk about “reopening” the economy. At the Chamber & EDC, our time is still being spent in daylong conversations with businesses—large and small—who are still in survival mode, trying to get money in the bank from various federal programs to help them keep their doors open, keep their team members employed, and bridge a gap from now until whenever some level of normalcy returns to their lives. If economic recovery was as simple as reopening something, we all would have (re)opened it by now.

The level of thoughtfulness, informed critical thinking, and step-by-step collaboration with public health officials that will need to go into the decision-making processes in front of us will be like nothing we have ever been a part of. Reopening businesses and generating near-term and long-term economic redevelopment strategies will be difficult and complex, and the level of urgency surrounding all of this could not be higher.

However, the unprecedented collaboration that is currently going into communicating with our political and healthcare leaders, sharing data and information across business groups and associations, and providing direct services to thousands of impacted businesses will position us well to generate the plans, steps, processes and communications strategies that will guide our businesses and economy into long-term recovery. This work and these relationships must ensure that as we work our way through this recovery, we create an economy that is more resilient and that works for more of our residents.

In the weeks ahead, we will share information on new task forces and working groups that will help in this ongoing and fluid process. Much of that work will be based on the information we have gathered from our ongoing business surveys with our partners, which we have shared with you below.

COVID-19 Impact Survey

Revenue impacts continue, but most firms favor temporary shutdowns over permanent closures.

In order to assess immediate economic impacts and understand the evolving business sentiment surrounding COVID-19, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and San Diego Regional EDC, in partnership with San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center, Downtown San Diego Partnership and National City Chamber of Commerce, developed a survey.

Three trends stood out based on what employers told us during the first four weeks of surveying. These findings are based on responses from 692 companies across the San Diego region.

Temporary Shutdowns Increasing

Only about 1% of survey respondents have permanently closed their business, but 42% have temporarily shut down operations. This is encouraging, since the number of local business closures could have a direct bearing on the pace of recovery once the COVID crisis subsides. Businesses that have permanently closed their doors are in a range of industries, including biotech and pharmaceuticals, cleantech, food and beverage, manufacturing, professional services, and retail.

Expect Revenue Impacts to Continue

The industries in San Diego most vulnerable to the effects of policies aimed at containing the spread of the virus include arts and entertainment, food and beverage, retail, and tourism. Compared to when the survey began in mid-March, more firms in these industries increasingly expect revenue impacts to occur over the next 1-3 months, rather than immediately. The perception by business owners that the economic and financial pain of the crisis could last longer than initially expected will likely be reflected as an effective moratorium on business investment and hiring in the near term.

Financial Assistance and Access to Capital

Compared to earlier survey results, more businesses are expressing interest in financing and capital to cope with the massive revenue shortfalls associated with COVID-19.

For an interactive visualization of survey responses, please visit: https://www.sandiegobusiness.org/research/covid-19-survey-results/

COVID-19 Survey Results: Revenue impacts continue, but most firms favor temporary shutdowns over permanent closures

By Jordan Latchford,

In order to assess immediate economic impacts and understand the evolving business sentiment surrounding COVID-19, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and San Diego Regional EDC, in partnership with San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center, Downtown San Diego Partnership and National City Chamber of Commerce, developed a survey.

Three trends stood out based on what employers told us during the first four weeks of surveying. These findings are based on responses from 692 companies across the San Diego region:

  1. Few firms surveyed have closed permanently, but temporary shutdowns are increasing. Only about 1% of survey respondents have permanently closed their business, but 42% have temporarily shut down operations. This is encouraging, since the number of local business closures could have a direct bearing on the pace of recovery once the COVID crisis subsides. Businesses that have permanently closed their doors are in a range of industries, including biotech and pharmaceuticals, cleantech, food and beverage, manufacturing, professional services, and retail.
  2. Vulnerable industries expect revenue impacts to continue. The industries in San Diego most vulnerable to the effects of policies aimed at containing the spread of the virus include arts and entertainment, food and beverage, retail, and tourism. Compared to when the survey began in mid-March, more firms in these industries increasingly expect revenue impacts to occur over the next 1-3 months, rather than immediately. The perception by business owners that the economic and financial pain of the crisis could last longer than initially expected will likely be reflected as an effective moratorium on business investment and hiring in the near term.
  3. More businesses seek financial assistance and access to capital. Compared to earlier survey results, more businesses are expressing interest in financing and capital to cope with the massive revenue shortfalls associated with COVID-19.

Understanding COVID-19’s impact: an interactive visualization

Below is an interactive visualization of self-reported impacts to local employers, both in terms of employment and revenue. You can segment the data by industry, number of employees, and typical annual revenue. Additionally, please scroll over the tab to look at the breakdown of responses via zip code. Please note, this is not a representative sample – meaning we did not weight responses proportionately to the population and demographics of the region – so we strongly advise against drawing sub-regional conclusions from this data.

Respondent Profile

For up-to-date information on the survey respondents and high level results, please view the responding profile here.

  • Number of responses: 692

Resources for you

San Diego Regional EDC, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and San Diego and Imperial SBDC offer a variety of resources to help businesses.

If you would like assistance from EDC, please use this form. Once we receive your responses, we will make every effort to reach out to you within 24 hours.

Request EDC assistance

You also might like:

‘Still Hiring’ list connects local job seekers to new opportunities

By Heather Dewis,

Over the past few weeks, it’s fair to say that our world (and community) have been turned upside down. Given the current circumstances, we know there are many San Diego job seekers on the market. And while things are changing rapidly, we are still getting calls from companies that are hiring and VCs that are still looking to invest.

The solution:

Over the last week, EDC’s San Diego: Life. Changing. program partnered with Startup San Diego and Connect to help our local job seekers connect with all of the San Diego tech and life sciences companies that are still hiring.

The result: a growing, “live” list of more than 25 companies that are still looking for innovative San Diegans to fill open positions. The list is updated almost daily with new companies and to ensure the most current news, company representatives themselves submit hiring information. With open opportunities at tech giants like Qualcomm, life sciences teams like BD, and even nonprofits and startups, we’re hopeful our community will quickly find exciting new positions working on homegrown innovations.

Click here or scroll down to see the live list of San Diego companies that are hiring. And if your company is still hiring, we encourage your team to use this form to provide our San Diego community with additional details. It takes under a minute to pay it forward – and help someone in our community find their next opportunity.

We’re in this together, San Diego. #SDtogether

Hiring in San Diego:

 

 

Economy in crisis: unemployment claims at a record high, as SD looks to minimize virus’ spread

By Nate Kelley,

We’ve seen and heard the unemployment numbers. But what does all of this really mean for our economic recovery in San Diego? Welcome to the ‘economy in  crisis’ series – a bi-weekly breakdown of data at the national, state, and local level in the shadows of Covid-19. 

A survey of local businesses shows that the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on San Diego’s economy are vast, amidst signs of resiliency. These results are corroborated by official data, both nationally and in California.

The survey will remain open, and results will be used to track business sentiment over time. To take the survey, please click here.

UNEMPLOYMENT: WHAT THE DATA Is (AND Isn’t) SAYING

United States

According to the Labor Department, initial claims for unemployment insurance have skyrocketed across the US in recent weeks. Claims jumped to 3.3 million for the week ending March 21 and more than doubled the week after, topping 6.8 million. Both weeks smashed the previous record of 695,000 new claims in 1982. The monthly tally of 10.7 million in March 2020 is nearly 3.5 times the number of claims filed in May 2009, the worst month of the Great Recession. Claims also appear to be poised for another record-breaking month, with another 6.6 million reported for the week ending April 4.

California

Closer to home, new filings for unemployment in California increased to 186,000 for the week ending March 21 and topped a million for the week ending March 28, eclipsing the previous record of 115,000 claims before the COVID-19 outbreak. Initial claims “eased” somewhat to 925,000 in the week ending April 4, but like the national figure, remain substantially elevated.

With such a meteoric rise in the number of claims being filed, it is likely that state labor agencies, including the California Employment Development Department, are struggling to immediately process them all, which would lead to a lower number of claims initially being reported. This suggests a much higher number of claims will be reported in the coming weeks as backlogged applications are processed and may make it somewhat more difficult to determine the point where stress in the job market begins to subside if the system is still processing backlogged applications after actual claims have begun to decline. Nonetheless, the trend is unmistakable: like the rest of the nation, a record number of Californians are filing for unemployment, in line with the survey results provided by local businesses.

San Diego

Unfortunately, unemployment insurance data is not reported at the metropolitan or county level, and San Diego job market data is reported on a roughly four-week lag – March employment estimates for San Diego will be available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on April 29. However, it is expected that the estimates made available by the BLS in the coming months will paint a bleak picture of the local job market given the sharp spike in unemployment benefits across the state, and the local prevalence of eating and drinking establishments, retailers, wholesalers, and entertainment venues, which have all been disproportionately impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. Together, these industries accounted for about one in four local jobs and $18.5 billion in salaries and wages in 2019—jobs and income that are now at risk during the pandemic and likely to see large reductions in upcoming job reports. Also, given the deep roots of those industries in the local economy, the ripple effects of job losses would be significant: for every 1,000 jobs lost in retail, wholesale, the arts, or food services, an estimated 500 jobs would be lost in other industries across San Diego.

A Silver Lining

Unlike most downturns precipitated by economic or market imbalances, this downturn was brought on by a non-economic, Black Swan event during an otherwise healthy economic expansion. At 3 percent, San Diego’s unemployment rate was well below the state and national averages, local earnings were climbing at a healthy pace, and the housing market was flourishing.

Given the strong economic conditions in San Diego before the outbreak, chances are good that the economy could bounce back fairly quickly, especially once travel and tourism come back nationally. However, timing will be key in determining the pace at which local businesses recover once this is over. The more economic pain endured right now as communities limit the spread of the virus, the better the chances of a full and speedy recovery.  Conversely, the recovery could be much slower if the virus is not effectively contained, and local businesses and households are forced to draw on lines of credit for extended periods of time to weather the downturn.

COVID-19 Recovery Resources

Regardless of how this all plays out, EDC is here to help.

Request EDC assistance

For general COVID-19 recovery resources and information, please view this page.

You also might like:

Mark Cafferty: How EDC is helping local companies connect and pivot

By Heather Dewis,

Originally published on April 12 in the San Diego Business Journal, this excerpt is from the latest of EDC President and CEO Mark Cafferty’s weekly columns:

Our team has responded to more than 360 companies in the last three weeks, and we have been actively working to connect them to the right services and resources and to help them better understand the various programs that are being expanded, created and updated on a daily basis. As a comparison, in a typical year, the EDC team works on about 150-180 business projects. As you can see, we have doubled that number in just a few weeks and are only working with a fraction of the businesses in need of support at this time.

While recent events have forced us to think and work differently, I truly believe that when the programs we are delivering to the community are important and valuable, we need to find more creative ways to keep them going. One program that exemplifies this kind of pivot for EDC is Advancing San Diego. Thanks to a grant from JP Morgan Chase, EDC and regional partners have launched a program that drives economic inclusion by addressing talent shortages. We had always thought that a critical part of this program would be creating a series of new paid STEM internships within our small businesses. So our team has flipped the traditional workforce development model on its head: employers tell us the skills they need, we identify the educational programs – Preferred Providers – that do the best job providing the identified skills, and then we use Advancing San Diego funds to create pathways for San Diegans into quality jobs in the companies that need them most. And the companies that need talent the most right now are our small businesses.

Read the full column on San Diego Business Journal’s website.

COVID-19 Survey Results: Impacts are vast, amidst signs of resiliency

By Jordan Latchford,

In order to assess immediate economic impacts and understand the evolving business sentiment, we have deployed a survey with our partners at San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center. The Downtown San Diego Partnership and National City Chamber of Commerce also served as survey partners. The survey will remain open for the foreseeable future so we can chart how responses change over time.

Three trends stood out based on what employers told us during the first three weeks of surveying:

  1. Impacts are vast. 379 employers plan to eliminate 14,524 jobs; 68% of their combined workforce.
  1. Small businesses are embracing remote work. More than 85% of firms with remote workers are small businesses. Overall, 42% of employers surveyed are having employees work remotely.
  1. Firms are still hiring. More than 11% of firms are still planning to fill positions. Nearly 19% of those firms still hiring are in the professional service industry.

Understanding COVID-19’s impact: an interactive visualization

Below is an interactive visualization of self-reported impacts to local employers, both in terms of employment and revenue. You can segment the data by industry, number of employees, and typical annual revenue. Additionally, please scroll over the tab to look at the breakdown of responses via zipcode. Please note, this is not a representative sample – meaning we did not weight responses operationally to the population and demographics of the region – so we strongly advise against drawing sub-regional conclusions from this data.

Respondent Profile

For up-to-date respondent information on the survey respondents and high level results, please view the responding profile here.
Other key numbers:

      • Number of responses: 681

Covid-19 Survey Results_San Diego_ April 8

Resources for you

San Diego Regional EDC, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and San Diego and Imperial SBDC offer a variety of resources to help businesses.

If you would like assistance from EDC, please use this form. Once we receive your responses, we will make every effort to reach out to you within 24 hours.

Request EDC assistance

Biocom portal helps companies pivot operations to address COVID-19 crisis

By Bree Burris,

As the global health pandemic progresses, leaders at every level have called on companies to step and help produce desperately-needed PPEs, ventilators, and sanitizing products.

A call to pivot

Last week San Diego, Mayor Faulconer made a public call for San Diego companies to pivot operations.

“We have the capability right here in San Diego to make a meaningful difference. All businesses that have the capacity and capability to shift their operations toward making essentials like ventilators, face masks, and hand-sanitizer are being urged to do so.”

Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City of San Diego

EDC President & CEO Mark Cafferty mentioned a few of the companies that have pivoted operations or doubling down in last week’s San Diego Business Journal. From Oracuse, a bike bag manufacturer that’s making masks, to Cutwater Spirits making hand sanitizer, and Resmed tripling the production of ventilators, San Diego companies from every industry and every corner of the region are helping out.

Biocom creates a portal

In response to the Mayor’s call, Biocom partnered with EDC and CMTC to create a COVID-19 partnering site that allows companies to connect and partner on all aspects of the COVID-19 response. The partnering site connects companies with capacity to those with needs. It is divided into four categories: supplies (PPE, ventilators), testing (blood tests, swab tests, rapid high throughput testing), treatments (antivirals, repurposed existing treatments, comorbidity treatments), and vaccines (trials, breakthroughs).

Biocom launches partnering portal

 

The partnering portal is part of Biocom’s Coronavirus Resource Center, which also includes information on donations of PPE, San Diego life sciences companies making headlines in COVID-19 discoveries, and more.

 

“From Cubic to LunaDNA to distilleries like Cutwater Spirits, companies are stepping up and doubling down to ensure that our healthcare workers are protected and that we’re one step closer to finding a cure.”

Mark Cafferty, San Diego Regional EDC

If you are looking to pivot operations and need crucial aspects of the supply chain, please check out Biocom’s partnering portal. and spread the word to companies that may be able to help.

Need help navigating your businesses’ COVID-19 response? Please check out EDC’s coronavirus resource page below.

coronaviurs Resources

Related research and articles: