S.J. jobs recovery proving difficult | Recordnet.com

S.J. jobs recovery proving difficult | Recordnet.com

S.J. JOBS RECOVERY PROVING DIFFICULT

PROBLEMS HAVE ONLY GOTTEN WORSE FOR AREAS THAT STRUGGLED WITH HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT BEFORE RECESSION


By Jennifer Torres
June 05, 2011
Record Staff Writer
STOCKTON - Within one or two miles of Stockton's Boggs Tract Park are distribution centers and recycling companies, mechanic shops and the Port of Stockton among other potential employers, some of which have current job openings.

But, said Frank Rodriguez, director of the Boggs Tract Community Center, "Unemployment is just rising. It's becoming more and more apparent that people are needing assistance finding jobs."

San Joaquin County's unemployment rate - 17.3 percent - remains stubbornly higher than state and national averages. A closer look at local joblessness, though, reveals that the scope of the problem varies widely across the county. The worst unemployment levels are concentrated in Stockton's core - neighborhoods that struggled with poverty and low education levels even before the recession - complicating hopes for an economic turnaround.

According to census data spanning the years 2005 to 2009, the neighborhoods surrounding Boggs Tract - bordered north and south by Stockton Deep Water Channel and Highway 4, and east and west by Interstate 5 and the San Joaquin River - have the highest unemployment rate in the county: 30.2 percent.

"As shocking as these unemployment rates are," said Jeff Michael of University of the Pacific's Business Forecasting Center, "they're almost certainly higher now. I should say, they certainly are higher now."

Other areas of high unemployment include downtown Stockton (from about 21.3 percent to about 26 percent), far southeast Stockton (about 27 percent), and a pocket of Tracy north of 11th Street, between Tracy Boulevard and Holly Drive (20.8 percent).

Of central Stockton in particular, Michael said, "Those areas have extremely high unemployment rates even in good times."

But he said he is skeptical of proposals that focus job-building efforts too specifically on distressed neighborhoods.

"You can target an area for job creation, but the people who end up working there might come from somewhere else," Michael said. "We have these high unemployment rates in these areas that are, in some ways, job centers. ... Often there's a mismatch between the work available in these areas and the skills of the people who live in these areas."

Only about 39 percent of adults in the neighborhoods surrounding Boggs Tract and adjacent to Port of Stockton have finished high school. In about 44 percent of homes, there is no English-speaking adult.

"Nowadays every company requires a résumé and some computer skills, too," said Rehana Zaman of the California Human Development Corporation.

The nonprofit organization, with offices in San Joaquin County, offers job search and job training resources. "That can be a big challenge."

Twice a month the organization hosts job interviews for McDonald's at its Lodi office. "Last month, Costco was here doing onsite interviews for demonstrators," Zaman said. "That was a big turnout, too."

Other opportunities may be on the horizon.

Eventually, the construction industry - which offered well-paying jobs to many people without high levels of education - will recover, Michael said.

And, he said, "The fastest-growing industry has certainly been transportation, logistics and distribution. Those are jobs that don't necessarily require a college degree, but they do require skills."

Ultimately, a comprehensive approach to economic development - one that improves employment in even the longest-struggling neighborhoods - should also work to improve education and skill levels, he said.

"These things will expand the opportunities to the people that have the highest unemployment rates in the county," Michael said.

Contact reporter Jennifer Torres at (209) 546-8252 or jtorres@record