Oakland County saw record job growth and labor force activity between April and May 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The county's labor force expanded by 13,461 participants between April and May - the largest single-month increase since June of 1992 - a recent Oakland County press release reports.
The number of employed residents also grew by 10,496 – the greatest single-month increase since January of 1990 when the bureau first recorded county-level data, the release states.
“This kind of growth reflects Oakland County’s robust efforts to attract sustainable, highpaying jobs in the knowledge-based economy through our Emerging Sectors program,” County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said in the press release. “We’ve just surpassed the $2.5 billion investment mark – that’s 238 Emerging Sectors companies creating or retaining more than 42,000 jobs.”
Earlier this year, University of Michigan economists George Fulton and Don Grimes forecasted much of Oakland County’s job growth would be in the high-wage category. The county’s Emerging Sectors initiative is responsible for attracting sustainable, high-paying jobs in the knowledge-based economy.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that the county’s average monthly jobs for 2012 were 660,327 - up 24,773 jobs from 2011, the release states.
For more information about Emerging Sectors and other business and job opportunities in Oakland County, visit AdvantageOakland.com.
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