Surge in O.C. Job Creation Is Paying Off for New Hires
Sometime late this year, Orange County is likely to reach a milestone: its total nonfarm employment will match the peak in 1990.
When that happens, the county will have replaced all of the nearly 60,000 jobs erased during the grueling recession. But what kinds of jobs have been created in Orange County to fill all those high-tech and manufacturing jobs lost?
The answer is mixed.
Since 1993, when Orange County’s economy hit bottom, local nonfarm employers have added about 50,000 to their payrolls, according to January figures, the latest final data available.
About half of these jobs were in construction, transportation and public utilities and wholesale trade--which pay above-average salaries. The other half came in industries that provide less in wages and benefits: retail trade, amusement services and business services. But even here, a detailed look shows that these industries aren’t as low-paying as people think.
Take business services, for example. This broad category is the fastest-growing sector, and has accounted for 14,400--or almost 30%--of the jobs created. Many business services jobs were logged at temporary-help firms, which in California paid annual wages averaging $16,000 in 1994, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor. However, business services also include advertising agencies (1994 annual salary of $46,400); credit reporting firms ($32,600) and computer programming services ($55,900).
The wholesale trade industry added 11,100 jobs in Orange County from January 1993 to January 1996. These workers typically earned in the mid-$30,000s.
Here are the other industries leading Orange County’s job resurgence, and what those workers earned:
* Amusement services grew by 7,800 jobs. They include workers at amusement parks (1994 annual salary of $15,800) and membership sports clubs ($16,500). But also in this category are workers in motion picture and video production ($61,600) and entertainers and entertainment groups ($81,656).
* Construction firms added 7,000 to their payrolls, in January earning $18.77 an hour.
* Workers in retail trade, which expanded by 5,800 jobs, generally earned $16,500 in 1994. But employees in car dealerships did much better, averaging $37,200, as did workers in computer and software stores ($37,700).
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Don Lee covers workplace issues for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7407 and at don.lee@latimes.com
