ENID — An average of 21,019 people were privately employed in Garfield County in 2010, up from 20,854 in 2009.
The rise in the number of private jobs in Garfield County is good news, said Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce CEO Jon Blankenship, who said private jobs are the backbone to a strong local economy.
“It’s the private-sector employment that drives the engine,” Blankenship said. “You are going to have a mix (of government and private jobs), and we’re faring well in both areas. But for stability, private-sector growth is key.”
Blankenship said the strongest job sectors in the region remain the medical, oil and gas, financial services, retail and manufacturing sectors.
The number of private jobs nearly matched 2007’s level of 21,025 private jobs in the county, according to data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest level of private jobs in the last five years was 21,494 in 2008.
Wages for private employees increased steadily through 2010, according to data. There was a nearly 25 percent increase from wages reported in the first quarter to wages reported in the fourth quarter.
While private employment levels in the county remain strong, the result from the government jobs sector is a mixed bag.
According to labor data, there was an average of 554 federal government jobs in Garfield County during 2010. That’s up from 413 in 2009, and much higher than the 385 average in 2006.
However, it’s not the same story for state government jobs. According to data, there was an average of only 834 state government jobs in the county in 2010. To put that in perspective, that’s the lowest reading in 10 years, dating back to 2001.
“I think (that number) reflects the state budget situation (through) the last couple of years,” Blankenship said.
Meanwhile, the number of local government jobs in the county has varied over the past years, though the number of jobs has been at a higher level in 2008-2010 than in 2006 or 2007.
There was an average of 2,548 local government jobs in Garfield County in 2010, up from 2,566 in 2009, according to data.
[Read More...]