Unemployment rates vary by level of education locally
In the Jacksonville Metropolitan Statistical Area, the unemployment rate for people without a high school diploma was almost double the rate for high school graduates and those with some college or an associate's degree AND four times higher than those who had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
2008 American Community Survey (Jacksonville MSA)
Less than a high school graduate
# Unemployed: 5,720
Unemployment rate: 11.9%
High school graduate
# Unemployed: 8,952
Unemployment rate: 5.6%
Some college or an associate’s degree
# Unemployed: 10,994
Unemployment rate: 5.3%
Bachelor’s degree or higher
# Unemployed: 4,282
Unemployment rate: 2.7%
B23006. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS FOR THE POPULATION 25 TO 64 YEARS; Data Set: 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates; Survey: American Community Survey.
Unemployment rates increase as the level of education decreases: This is a national trend.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Rates (United States)
Less than a high school diploma
July 2010 – 13.0% | 2009 Annual – 14.6% | 2008 Annual – 9.0%
High school graduates, no college
July 2010 – 9.9% | 2009 Annual – 9.7% | 2008 Annual – 5.7%
Less than a bachelor's degree
July 2010 – 8.6% | 2009 Annual –8.0% | 2008 Annual – 4.6%
College graduates
July 2010 – 5.0% | 2009 Annual – 4.6% | 2008 Annual – 2.6%
Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment
http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpsatab4.htm
What should communities do?
-Create jobs for and build/attract companies that hire workers with low levels of education?
-Implement policies that increase educational attainment for the community’s adults?
-What else?
Note: The Jacksonville MSA includes Duval County (Jacksonville and the cities of Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin and Neptune Beach), Clay County, St. Johns County, Nassau County and Baker County.
This entry reaffirms a known fact, there is an inverse relationship between education level and rate of unemployment. This relationship will become more evident as the economy evolves and occupations become more dependent on workers with higher levels of knowledge and skills. There will always be job opportunities for those who have limited education, but the number of those types of jobs will likely decline. Thus, economic planners in Northeast Florida are faced with important choices. Option 1: Continue on its current path of sustaining a modestly educated population and then lure/start industries or businesses that match that education level. Option 2: Stop spewing platitudes about improving the educational level of the region and actually do so, then lure/start businesses or industries that require an educated populace. If the jobs of the future will require more education, the choice seems obvious. Given the mindset of regional leaders and their proclivity toward partisan bickering, the decision will may be a blend of the two options. In defense of such an approach, one can argue that a blended approach adds diversity and balance to the regional economy.
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