Charlottesville has seen a significant increase in the size of its work force, largely due to the University's presence, according to the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In a report released Wednesday, the region experienced a 3.8 percent job increase during 2006, with professional and business services seeing the most growth. On the other hand, manufacturing has steadily decreased, down 4.2 percent between 2003 and 2005.
The number of jobs in the private sector of Charlottesville was particularly high, increasing 4.4 percent compared to 1.6 percent growth in the Commonwealth as a whole. This growth marks the third consecutive year during which there has been a job increase in the region, which includes the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties.
Although the region experienced job loss between 2000 and 2003, job opportunities have risen 26.2 percent over the last 12 years.
This continued increase is not surprising to Lee Witherow, president of Adams & Garth Staffing and Executive Search, one of the underwriters of the report.
Witherow cited the fact that "a lot of groups in Charlottesville do a good job of working together."
According to Witherow, Charlottesville is a community where the opportunities available for sustainable jobs are high, noting that one of the major contributors to employment opportunities in the area is the University.
"U.Va. is by far the biggest employer in the region, and their growth and prosperity has a big impact on what goes on in the region,"Witherow said.
Witherow added that the University has the ability to attract jobs by bringing in top-tier companies to the Fontaine Research Park and expanding the information industry.
"There is a good opportunity for companies to move here," Witherow said. "This economy is raw and relatively unaffected by recession in other places."
Chamber of Commerce President Timothy Hulbert echoed a similar sentiment, noting that the University is not only the largest single employer in the area, but that it continues to grow.
Of the 102,000 jobs in the area, 19,000 are at the University, Hulbert said, with several thousand more jobs offered through University affiliates like the health care services.
"U.Va. is the straw that stirs the drink," Hulbert said.
Read More
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | 16 hours agoA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
U.Va.'s Earth Day Eco-Fair 2025 spotlights sustainability advocacy
By Leigh Bailey | 16 hours agoStudents from Contracted Independent Organizations and University Office of Sustainability leadership programs each shared their unique perspectives about sustainability advocacy on Grounds.
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | YesterdayStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
