OUR WORKFORCE IS BECOMING MORE SKILLED
Why Is This Important?
The better the match between the skills of residents and higher-skilled jobs in growing clusters, the more likely Solano County will capture the benefits of its dynamic economy. People use knowledge gained from previous jobs or school to acquire occupations that use the information they have learned. Educational attainment provides people with access to opportunity, and as skill sets increase, income potential grows. As regional educational levels rise, populations improve their ability to compete in the global economy for higher paying jobs. This results in higher productivity and a higher standard of living in the region.
How Are We Doing?
Over the last four years, as the number of workers in the county has risen, so has the average educational attainment level. From 2005 to 2008, the number of employees who reside in Solano County increased by 1 percent to 77 percent of the regional workforce. During the same time period, the number of residential and commuter employees with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher increased by 25 percent. More recently, there was a 13 percent increase (4,200 employees) from 2007 to 2008. Meanwhile, the number of employed residents with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher increased nearly twice as fast as that of the entire workforce from 2005 to 2008 – 48 percent of the residential workforce had at least a Bachelor’s Degree.
In Solano County, 58 percent of the employment in the fastest growing occupations between 2005 and 2008 required a High School Degree plus on-the-job training. In 2008, 19 percent of the employment in the fastest growing occupations required at least a Bachelor’s Degree; an increase of 1 percent from 2005. The educational attainment level for occupations is only a picture of the workforce and may not reflect the current requirements imposed on entrants.