By Jen Kinney.
The so-called innovation economy is driving job growth in San Diego, but not everyone is poised to reap its benefits. The city is grappling with a skills gap, according to a new report by Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s workforce development task force, which found that in particular, healthcare, manufacturing and technology sector employers are struggling to hire trained individuals for what are often high-wage positions.
“Despite positive economic trends and growing numbers of jobs available in San Diego County, employers still have difficulty finding qualified workers to fill these jobs,” states the report. “Many of the well-paying jobs of today require more skills than the jobs of the past.”
A Brookings report last year found that of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, many were not well situated with residents trained to fill many tech jobs.
In Southern California, the San Diego task force is recommending eight strategies to increase workforce training and education within five high-wage, high-demand, high-growth priority sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean technology and energy, healthcare, information technology, and life science/biotech.
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