Solano Job Numbers Keep Growing

Solano Job Numbers Keep Growing
By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN, Times-Herald staff writer
Vallejo Times Herald

The number of jobs and people needed to fill them has grown in Solano County in the past year, a newly released study shows.
Nevertheless, employment growth lags behind some other Bay Area counties, said Jay Kerrigan, spokesman for Manpower, which put out the study.

"Within Solano County, hiring has progressively increased throughout the past year," Kerrigan said. "We've seen an increase in durable goods manufacturing, including logistics and distribution, financial services and construction."

Kerrigan said the county's highly skilled positions like trained tradesmen jobs, continue to be most in demand, with technical and professional jobs also increasing.

"Warehouse work is growing and general administrative jobs are also strong and growing," he said. "What this all generally means is that hiring continues to increase in highly skilled positions, so the opposite is also true, with the demand for unskilled positions also increasing."

So far, the increased demand for skilled and unskilled workers has not translated into increased wages, but they soon should, Kerrigan said.

"We haven't seen significant changes in pay in '05, but we would expect some increase in the pay scale in '06 if the demand trend continues," he said.

The study shows more employers hiring for multiple shifts locally, which typically results from increased customer demand, Kerrigan said. He also noted a trend of businesses locating or expanding into Solano County.

"This means there are improved opportunities and market conditions in Solano County," Kerrigan said.

"I'm reluctant to say it's a highly robust market - not like in Oakland and Contra Costa counties where the market is highly robust. But Solano remains a hotbed of opportunity."

- E-mail Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at RachelZ@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6824.