Workforce Innovations

Business Resources

California EDGE Campaign

According to the California EDGE (Education, Diversity and Growth in the Economy) Campaign, California now stands at a historic crossroads. Over the next two decades, the highly skilled baby boom generation will be retiring, and many projections indicate that California’s replacement workers will have lower levels of educational attainment if current trends persist. Already many California industries face critical skills shortages and some recent studies warn that soon more of the state’s employers may be unable to find workers with the skills they need to remain competitive.

To learn more, visit: http://www.californiaedgecampaign.org/

Joint Venture: 2008 Silicon Valley Index

Earlier this year, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network released the 2008 Silicon Valley Index, their annual measure of the strength of the regional economy and vitality of the Silicon Valley community. The Index highlights local challenges and provides an analytical tool for decision making.

This year’s Index provides a special analysis on the significant decline of mid-wage jobs in Silicon Valley and the effects of this loss on the greater community. NOVA Director Mike Curran was instrumental in calling attention to this important workforce issue.

To learn more, visit: http://www.jointventure.org/publicatons/siliconvalleyindex.html

CalJobSource Offers Free Job Postings for California Employers

With unemployment on the rise and the economy weakening, CalJobSource is offering a stimulus plan for employers in California. Employers can post their job listings at CalJobSource absolutely free of charge—it’s a great way for businesses to save from the high costs of using other employment sites which may charge hundreds of dollars or more to list job openings.

To learn more, visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/04/prweb876154.htm

Economic Policy Institute: Pulling Apart

A state-by-state examination of trends in income inequality over the past two business cycles finds that inequality has grown in most parts of the country since the late 1980s. The incomes of the country’s highest-income families have climbed substantially, while middle- and lower-income families have seen only modest increases.

To learn more, visit: http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/studies_pulling_apart_2008

NOVA’s Workforce Review

The Workforce Review is a two-page fact sheet featuring data on labor force trends, including regional unemployment rate and change, specific labor force data for NOVA’s consortium of cities, and workforce reductions in the NOVA area