volume 4 | issue 2 spring 2014 regional review

Spring 2014VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 2

Quarterly labor market information across New Mexico

Regional Review

Effects on

Workers in New Mexico Female & Male

Recessionary

Female and Male Workers in New Mexico

pg 3

Regional Business News

pg 16

County Employment & Unemployment

pg 21

22

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Economic Research & Analysis Bureau (ER&A) collects, develops, analyzes, and publishes labor market information for New Mexico. The Bureau produces statistical and analytical information about trends in industry employment, skill needs, unemployment, occupations in demand, and a range of labor market information used by employers, educators, workers, students, economic developers and policy makers at all levels. Information produced by ER&A is vital as we continue to identify and promote the workforce skills required to drive innovation and keep New Mexicobusinesses competitive.

The Regional Review, covering the four Workforce Investment Areas (WIAs), including Central, Eastern,Southwestern, and Northern, is a quarterly publication highlighting employment data, labor market information,and business news.

Download a QR code reader app on your smart phone to scan the code to view past editions of the Regional Review.

WHAT’S INSIDE

Major Contributors: Ashley Leach, Economist Mark Flaherty, Economist

Design/Layout: Stacy Johnston, Public Relations Specialist

New Mexico Department of Workforce SolutionsBusiness Services DivisionEconomic Research & Analysis Bureau

Visit “Labor Market Information” at www.dws.state.nm.us for more information.

ABOUT THE REVIEW3 Female and Male Workers

in New Mexico

16 Regional Business News

21 County Employment and Unemployment

Regional Review

Spring 2014

VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 2

Quarterly labor market information across New Mexico

Regional Review

Effects on

Workers in New Mexico Female & Male

Recessionary

Female and Male Workers

in New Mexico

pg 3

Regional Business News

pg 16

County Employment &

Unemployment

pg 21

3

FEMALE & MALE WORKERS IN NEW MEXICOBackgroundThe distinctive elements of the Great Recession were its severity and its duration, yet there were significant differences in the way men and women fared during that period. On average, men were affected substantially more adversely than women, and this was largely due to the high concentration of men in sectors that were hit hardest (such as construction and manufacturing) and the concentration of women in industries that fared well (such as education and health services). This article looks at this dramatic disparity, focusing on the New Mexico labor market.

Nationally, between December 2007 and December 2009, male employment declined by 5.7 million, but dropped only by 2.7 million for women. Unemployment rates also diverged. Between December 2007 and January 2010, men’s unemployment rate moved from 5.1 to 12.3 percent, whereas women’s unemployment rate moved from 4.4 to only 8.5 percent. As of January 2010, men’s and women’s unemployment rates differed by 3.8 percentage points, the largest gender difference in unemployment rates during the postwar era. (Source: US Census Bureau Current Population Survey.) For the past three recessions, the average difference has been only 1 percentage point. There was also an increase in the percentage of men who entered or re-entered the labor market

after a period of nonparticipation and then failed to find a job. Men also flowed to unemployment from employment and nonparticipation at a higher rate than women. While men and women flowed out of unemployment at similar rates, men were more likely to move to employment while women were more likely to move to nonparticipation (Sahin, Song and Hobijn, “The unemployment gender gap during the 2007 recession,” 2010).

One potential reason for this higher flow of women to nonparticipation in the labor force is that often women are the primary direct caregiver for young children. Exhibit 1 shows that 43 percent

48.2%

83.7%

53.5%

83.1%

41.8%

84.5%

38.9% 41.6% 39.1% 36.1% 35.6%47.1%

16.4%

4.7%

16.1%

4.5%

16.7%

5.0%

16.4% 16.9% 17.6%14.6% 13.0%

9.8%

5.9%

4.9%

5.5%

4.7%

6.3%

5.1%

6.2% 6.2% 6.1%6.2% 4.0%

6.0%

29.5%

6.7%

24.9%7.7%

35.2%

5.4%

38.6% 35.3% 37.2% 43.0% 47.4%37.1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Mothers -childrenunder 18

years

Fathers -childrenunder 18

years

Mothers -children 6-17

years

Fathers -children 6-17

years

Mothers -children

under 6 years

Fathers -children

under 6 years

Mothers -children

under 3 years

Mothers -children 2

years

Mothers -children 1

year

Mothers -children

under 1 year

Women - nochildrenunder 18

Men - nochildrenunder 18

Employment Status of Men and Women by Age of Children, United States, 2012 Annual Averages

Not in thelabor force

Unemployed

Employedpart time

Employed fulltime

1

Note: Data for men was not available for those with children under 3 yrs old. Source: Current Population Survey

4

of mothers with children under one year old in the US were not in the labor force. This percentage reduced to 35.2 percent for mothers with children under 6 years old and to 24.9 percent for mothers with children between 6 and 17 years old. Among employed mothers, those with preschoolers are more likely to work part time than are mothers with children ages 6 to 17. About 29 percent of employed mothers with children under age 6 worked part time in 2012, compared with 23 percent of employed mothers with children ages 6 to 17. On the other hand, the dominant effect upon men of having children is a dramatic aggregate increase in participation in the labor force, with most of this occurring in full-time employment. For example, the percentage of men in full-time employment shifts from 47.1 percent for those with no children to 84.5 percent for those with children under six. (For further information on the employment status of parents see “Table 4. Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and family type, 2011-2012 annual averages,” US Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.t04.htm.)

In the recovering US job market, women have rebounded faster than men. Nationally, women have regained all the jobs they lost in the Great Recession, whereas, as of February 2014, men were still 2.3 million jobs short. The industries that have been hiring the fastest have generally been industries like retail, education, health care, and accommodation and food services (restaurants and hotels), and these are generally industries in which women tend to predominate. For example, women make up more than half of the workforce in hotels and restaurants. Industries in which men are predominant, like construction

89.293.393.493.493.493.593.793.893.993.9

94.794.794.794.995.195.295.295.395.595.695.796.196.296.296.396.496.997.297.297.297.397.397.497.798.098.198.398.398.498.598.598.698.7

99.899.9100.1100.4100.9101.1

101.9103.4

104.7

80 85 90 95 100 105 110

District of ColumbiaRhode Island

MarylandNorth Carolina

DelawareSouth Carolina

MississippiAlabama

MassachusettsNew York

TennesseeGeorgia

ConnecticutVirginia

New JerseyLouisiana

FloridaPennsylvania

OhioMaine

MissouriIllinois

KentuckyArkansasMichigan

United StatesIndiana

VermontNew Mexico

HawaiiWest Virginia

OklahomaNew Hampshire

KansasOregon

TexasIowa

CaliforniaNebraska

ArizonaWisconsin

MinnesotaWashington

ColoradoIdaho

South DakotaMontana

UtahNevada

North DakotaWyoming

Alaska

Sex Ratio by State, 2012 Estimates

Source: US Census Bureau

2

5

and manufacturing, have yet to recover millions of jobs lost in the recession. On the other hand, the education and health services sector has helped to drive the recovery. Nationally, it added over 1.5 million jobs between the official end of the recession in June 2009 and June 2013, with women gaining over 1 million (or 68 percent) of those jobs. While this sector includes well-paid jobs, such as registered nurses and physical therapists, many are lower-paying positions such as home health care aides.

Population and Sex Ratio–New Mexico and Neighboring States

Populations vary in the ratio of males to females, and variations can provide a foundation upon which gender differences in the labor market can

93.4 95

.1

95.9

96.1

96.4

96.5

96.6

96.9

97.1

97.7

98.5

98.5

98.5

99.0

99.4

99.8

100.

1

101.

3

101.

9

101.

9

102.

3

103.

4

103.

5

103.

6

104.

2

104.

3

105.

1

105.

6

106.

7

108.

2

108.

6

132.

7

134.

1

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

Sex

Ratio

Popu

latio

n Si

ze

Sex Ratio and Population Size by County, July 2012 PopulationSex Ratio <100 (more females)Sex Ratio >100 (more males)

Source: US Census Bureau

3

be understood. The US Census Bureau provides sex ratio estimates (the number of males to every 100 females) for states and counties, with 2012 data being the most recently available. Exhibit 2 ranks states by concentration of males relative to females, with blue bars indicating states with more males and pink/red bars indicating states with more females. New Mexico has a female-biased sex ratio (97.2 males to every 100 females), which is more male-biased than the national average (96.4) but more female-biased than any other southwestern (or for that matter western) state. All states with a male-biased sex ratio are contiguous states located in the non-coastal northwest (plus Alaska).

Exhibit 3 shows sex ratio by New Mexico county and population size. It is interesting to note that the counties with the strongest female-biased sex ratios have relatively high populations,

69,9

47

71,7

07

68,4

34 74,3

52

68,5

93

68,6

61

65,3

28

61,7

21

61,4

04 66,8

69 74,6

03

74,2

45

64,1

73

53,0

24

36,0

09

29,2

70

20,3

59

21,9

62

73,0

89

77,5

81

70,5

66

75,9

79

74,9

60

74,6

87

66,2

03

62,8

23

62,1

70

63,5

69

71,5

69

63,7

97

64,2

50

47,6

21

32,3

30

23,7

90

15,9

06

13,9

87

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

Under 5years

5 to 9years

10 to 14years

15 to 19years

20 to 24years

25 to 29years

30 to 34years

35 to 39years

40 to 44years

45 to 49years

50 to 54years

55 to 59years

60 to 64years

65 to 69years

70 to 74years

75 to 79years

80 to 84years

85 andover

Gender Population Differences by Age, New Mexico, 2012

Female Male

4

Source : US Census Bureau

6

including Santa Fe, Sandoval, Bernalillo, and Doña Ana counties, which all fall within New Mexico’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Nevertheless, there are also several other factors affecting sex ratio, including concentration of particular industries and cultural factors.

Exhibit 4 illustrates age-based gender differences in the New Mexico population. The bars for the age groups under the US working age of 16 are lightened to emphasize the working age population. Males outnumber females in all of the younger age groups until the 45-49 age group, at which point females dominate from there on.

Employment: New Mexico and Neighboring StatesExhibit 5 shows that New Mexico, when compared to other neighboring states, had the most even distribution of male and female employed persons (a difference of only 1.6 percentage points) in the third quarter of 2012 (the most recent period in which state-comparable data was available). The percentage of females employed in New Mexico was 49.2 percent in 2012, up 0.2 percentage points from 2009 (Exhibit 6). California had the next highest percentage of female workers at 48.6 percent, down 0.5 percentage points from 2009. The states with the lowest percentage of female workers were Utah, Nevada, and Colorado, which were also the three neighboring states with a male-biased sex ratio. The only state with a growing proportion of female workers, other than New Mexico, was Nevada,

50.8%

51.4%

51.5%

51.6%

51.6%

51.9%

51.9%

54.9%

49.2%

48.6%

48.5%

48.4%

48.4%

48.1%

48.1%

45.1%

40% 45% 50% 55%

New Mexico

California

Oklahoma

Arizona

Texas

Colorado

Nevada

Utah

Employment by Sex, New Mexico and Neighboring States, 2012 Third Quarter

Female

Male

5

Source: US Census Bureau in cooperation with the Department of Workforce Solutions

0.2%

0.0%

-0.2%

-0.5%

-0.5%

-0.8%

-0.8%

-1.5%

-1.5% -1.0% -0.5% 0.0% 0.5%

New Mexico

Nevada

Colorado

California

Arizona

Utah

Texas

Oklahoma

Change in Female Share of Employment by State, 2009-2012 6


though it had a 3.8 percentage point difference between male and female employment share compared to a 1.6 percentage point difference in New Mexico.

Civilian Labor Force Participation, Employment, and Unemployment Rate–New Mexico and Neighboring States

The previous exhibit measured differential share of employment. The next three charts separate

7

ECONOMIC RECOVERY

69.7

%

65.8

%

74.5

%

70.5

%

64.2

%

70.4

%

71.1

%

74.2

%

78.5

%

57.2

%

53.2

%

61.8

%

57.6

%

51.2

%

55.6

%

53.8

%

56.9

%

59.5

%

Civilian Labor Force Participation 2013 Annual Averages

Men

Women7

Source: Current Population Survey

64.4

%

69.3

%

60.4

%

63.5

%

59.4

%

64.0

%

67.1

%

69.7

%

75.1

%

53.2

%

58.0

%

49.0

%

52.0

%

47.8

%

50.8

%

50.8

%

53.2

%

56.9

%

Employment as Percentage of Population, 2013 Annual Averages

Men

Women8


6.1%

4.4% 5.

6%

9.9%

8.2% 9.

1%

7.6%

6.9% 7.

6%

6.5%

4.4% 5.

5%

9.6%

7.8% 8.

6%

7.1%

6.2% 6.

7%Unemployment Rate 2013 Annual Averages Men Women9


male and female contributions to the civilian noninstitutional population. The civilian noninstitutional population consists of persons 16 years of age and older residing in a state who are not inmates of institutions and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces. From this it is possible to compare the separate contributions of males and females to labor force, employment, and unemployment rate within New Mexico, its neighboring states, and the US. The data are preliminary annual average estimates for 2013 from the US Bureau of Labors Statistics’ Current Population Survey. For an explanation of the preliminary data on employment status for states from the Current Population Survey see http://www.bls.gov/lau/ptable14full2013.pdf.

Exhibit 7 shows the civilian labor force participation for New Mexico, its neighboring states, and the US. The civilian labor force participation shows the percentage of each gender’s civilian noninstitutional population that was participating in the labor force. About 69.7 percent of the US male civilian noninstitutional population participated in the labor force, whereas only 57.2 percent of the US female civilian noninstitutional population participated in the labor force; the gender difference in labor force participation within the US was 12.5 percentage points. Compared to this national average, New Mexico and all neighboring states had wider disparities between male and female labor

8

force participation rates. The most significant disparity was that of Utah, where the male labor force participation rate was 78.5 percent. In contrast, the female labor force participation rate was 59.5 percent, a difference of 19 percentage points. The difference between gender labor force participation rates in New Mexico was about average, falling behind Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada but ahead of California, Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah. With New Mexico’s male labor force participation at 64.2 percent and female labor force participation at 51.2 percent, the gender difference of civilian labor force participation was 13 percentage points.

Exhibit 8 shows employment as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population for both males and females by state and for the US and paints a similar picture to the labor force participation rate exhibit. Utah had the highest gender difference in employed workers (18.2 percentage points), with California, Oklahoma, and Texas following. Once again, New Mexico’s gender difference (11.6 percentage points) was midway between these states and Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada. We see that New Mexico’s percentage of workers that were employed (59.4 percent of males and 47.8 percent of females employed) was low compared to other states; Colorado had the highest rate for women (58.0 percent), while Utah had the highest rate for men (75.1 percent). Colorado’s gender difference (11.3 percentage points) was the lowest of the neighboring states, falling very near to the US average difference of 11.2 percentage points.

Exhibit 9 shows the gender difference in unemployment rate by state and for the US in 2013. Here we see that New Mexico had the greatest divergence between male and female unemployment rates compared to neighboring states and the US. With the male unemployment rate at 7.6 percent and the female unemployment rate at 6.7 percent, the difference was almost a full percentage point. The US difference in male and female unemployment rates was only 0.5 percentage points, with the male unemployment rate the same as that of New Mexico and the female unemployment rate at 7.1 percent. Interestingly, Texas had a gender difference of 0.4 percentage points, but the female unemployment rate was higher (6.5 percent, relative to the male unemployment rate of 6.1 percent). Utah had no gender difference in this category, with both male and female unemployment rates at 4.4 percent, the lowest of all states for both genders.

Male and Female Employment within Key Occupational Groups–New Mexico and Neighboring States

Exhibit 10 and 11 show how employment was distributed across key occupational groups for men and women separately in New Mexico and neighboring states. These data are 2012 annual averages, which were the most recently available

9

Number Employed (Rounded)

Management, Business, and

FinancialProfessional and Related

Service Occupations

Sales and Related

Office and Admin Support

Farming, Fishing and

ForestryConstruction

and Extraction

Installation, Maintenance,

and RepairProduction

Occupations

Transportation and Material

MovingTotal 2,770,000 15.4 20.8 19.8 12.4 12.8 0.5 4.7 3.8 4.2 5.6Men 1,499,000 15.3 17.5 17.8 12.5 7.0 0.9 8.5 6.4 5.4 8.7Women 1,271,000 15.5 24.8 22.2 12.2 19.7 0.1 0.2 0.7 2.8 2.0Total 16,558,000 17.2 22.1 18.2 10.6 12.2 1.3 4.7 3.0 5.0 5.6Men 9,072,000 17.6 19.2 15.5 10.1 6.7 1.8 8.5 5.3 6.6 8.8Women 7,486,000 16.7 25.7 21.6 11.2 18.8 0.7 0.2 0.2 3.0 1.8Total 2,514,000 19.1 23.2 16.4 11.1 12.3 0.5 5.4 3.1 4.3 4.6Men 1,358,000 20.6 19.8 13.0 11.2 6.2 0.9 9.9 5.5 5.9 6.9Women 1,156,000 17.2 27.3 20.3 11.0 19.5 0.1 0.1 0.2 2.3 2.0Total 1,227,000 13.5 16.2 26.9 12.8 12.6 0.3 4.6 2.9 3.5 6.6Men 661,000 13.6 14.4 25.3 11.1 6.7 0.3 8.4 5.4 5.1 9.8Women 565,000 13.3 18.3 28.7 14.8 19.6 0.3 0.2 0.1 1.7 2.9Total 881,000 15.8 26.4 19.8 8.3 11.3 0.4 6.7 3.3 3.5 4.4Men 460,000 16.4 22.6 16.7 8.2 5.0 0.5 12.5 5.8 4.8 7.5Women 421,000 15.2 30.5 23.2 8.5 18.2 0.4 0.4 0.7 2.1 0.9Total 1,723,000 15.1 21.1 16.6 9.9 12.8 0.5 6.5 5.0 6.9 5.6Men 944,000 16.2 15.3 15.2 9.7 5.8 0.7 8.3 6.3 12.5 10.2Women 779,000 12.8 28.7 20.7 10.7 21.1 0.2 0.4 0.1 3.3 2.0Total 11,809,000 15.1 20.0 17.6 11.5 12.5 0.6 6.4 3.7 6.1 6.4Men 6,481,000 15.6 16.7 13.2 10.6 6.4 0.9 11.5 6.6 8.4 10.1Women 5,328,000 14.6 24.0 22.9 12.6 20.0 0.3 0.2 0.3 3.4 1.8Total 1,285,000 15.3 20.7 14.3 11.6 13.8 0.3 6.1 3.4 7.9 6.6Men 721,000 16.1 18.5 10.9 10.6 6.7 0.5 10.8 6.0 9.9 10.1Women 564,000 14.2 23.4 18.6 12.8 22.9 0.2 0.2 0.2 5.4 2.1

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics' Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment

Oklahoma

Texas

Utah

Employment by Occupation, 2012 Annual Averages (%)

Arizona

California

Colorado

Nevada

New Mexico

10

12.5%0.4%

7.5%

0.9%

5.8%0.7%

4.8%2.1%

16.4%

15.2%

0.5%

0.4%

8.2%

8.5%

16.7%

23.2%

22.6%

30.5%

5.0%

18.2%

MEN WOMEN

Occupational Employment Distribution, New Mexico, 2012 Annual Averages

Office and AdministrativeSupport

Professional and Related

Service Occupations

Sales and Related

Farming, Fishing and Forestry

Management, Business, andFinancial Operations

Production Occupations

Installation, Maintenance, andRepair

Transportationand MaterialMoving

Construction and Extraction

11

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics' Georaphic Profile of Employment and Unemployment

10

disparity, it is significant because many well-paid jobs fall into this occupational group. This disparity exists in other neighboring states, with Colorado, Oklahoma, and Utah all showing wider differences in this occupation, and only Arizona showing a female-bias in this occupational group.

FEMALE-PREDOMINATED OCCUPATIONSThe most striking female bias in employment falls within office and administrative support occupations. About 18.2 percent of women and only 5 percent of men were employed in this occupational group; this represents a difference of 13.2 percentage points. While this is a significant difference, the disparity was even larger in Colorado (13.3 percentage points), Texas (13.6 percentage points), and Utah (16.2 percentage points). The other significantly female-biased occupational groups were professional and related occupations and service occupations. Together, 71.9 percent of working women, but only 44.3 percent of working men, were employed in these three occupational groups. In general, female workers are heavily concentrated within a few occupational groups of a white-collar nature, while male employment is spread more evenly across both blue and white collar occupations. Like other states, New Mexico is influenced by the well-documented national shift towards a service and white-collar economy and so called ‘economic osmosis’ from blue collar jobs, many of which are currently dominated (numerically) by men.

data for this category, and are available from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment (visit http://www.bls.gov/opub/gp/pdf/gp12_18.pdf.

MALE-PREDOMINATED OCCUPATIONS Construction and extraction occupations made up a much higher share of male employment compared to their share of female employment across all nine states. New Mexico showed the greatest gender difference (12.1 percentage points) compared to neighboring states in this occupation, with 12.5 percent of men (but only 0.4 percent of women) working in this occupational group. Nevada showed the smallest gender difference (8.2 percentage points), with 8.4 percent of men and 0.2 percent of women employed in this occupational group. The next most male-biased occupations were in transportation and material moving; installation, maintenance, and repair; and production. It is interesting to note that 30.6 percent of working men were employed in these four occupational groups in New Mexico, as opposed to 4.1 percent of working women. The gender disparity within this cluster of occupations was largest in Oklahoma, where 37.3 percent of working men and only 5.8 percent of working women were employed in the four occupations; this represents a 31.5-percentage-point difference. About 16.4 percent of working men were employed in a management, business, and financial operations occupation, compared to 15.2 percent of women. While this is a smaller

A NOTE ON THE DATA

In order to compare gender differences in employment change, Quarterly Workforce Indicator (QWI) data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics program of the US Census Bureau was used. The latest quarter in which data was available from this source was 2012, quarter three. For both the trend charts and the four-year comparison table in this section, data was rounded to annual averages. Annual averages were rounded from the fourth quarter of the preceding year to the third quarter of the following year so that the most recent data point (2012, quarter three) could be included in annual average comparisons. Thus, the trend charts provide moving annual averages, with the last quarter of the four averaged being used as the reference quarter on the horizontal axis and in the text. The table takes the average of 2007 (quarter four) through 2008 (quarter three) and compares this with the average of 2011 (quarter four) through 2012 (quarter three) in order to measure employment change during this four-year period. Annual moving averages are calculations rather than being directly provided by the Census Bureau. Due to the inclusion of lagged quarters, the state alternative measures may not fully reflect the current status of the labor market.

11

Sex Differences in Total Employment by Industry

Exhibit 12 shows that males made up the majority of the workforce within New Mexico across all industries up to and during the recession. The male share of total employment fluctuated between 380,845 (or 50.7 percent) in the first quarter of 2006 and 400,257 (50.6 percent) in the fourth quarter of 2008, which was the numerical peak of male employment. There was always a gap of at least 1 percentage point between male and female shares of employment until the end of 2008. This gap slowly began to close, starting in the first quarter of 2009, when employment began to fall in New Mexico’s labor market, until females made up the majority of employment by the third quarter of 2010. This dynamic continued for two years through the recovery period until quarter three of 2012, at which time men regained the majority share of employment.

When we look deeper into what caused this phenomenon, we see that there were

400,257

391,265

340,000

350,000

360,000

370,000

380,000

390,000

400,000

410,000

Total Employment Annual Moving Average, 2006-2012

Male

Female

12


A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY

All reference to net gain in this section reflects a relative net gain of male employment over female employment, or vice versa, and does not necessarily indicate that there was an actual gain in jobs. For example, if 1,000 male jobs were lost in an industry and only 500 female jobs were lost in that same industry, this would represent a female relative net gain of 500 jobs, by this definition, even though there was actually a loss of 500 female jobs.

Four-Year Employment Change (2007-8 and 2011-12) Total Annual

AVERAGE (2007Q4-2008Q3

Total Annual


Total Numeric Change

Total % Change

Total Change as

% of industry

base

Male Annual


Male Annual


Male Numeric Change

Male % Change

Male Change as

% of industry

base

Female Annual


Female Annual


Female Numeric Change

Female % Change

Female Change as

% of industry

baseFemale

Net GainConstruction 59,235 42,579 -16,656 -28.1% -28.1% 49,185 35,257 -13,928 -28.3% -23.5% 10,050 7,322 -2,728 -27.1% -4.6% 11,200Health Care 108,715 119,602 10,888 10.0% 10.0% 23,935 27,367 3,433 14.3% 3.2% 84,780 92,235 7,455 8.8% 6.9% 4,022Manufacturing 37,243 31,214 -6,029 -16.2% -16.2% 26,063 22,001 -4,063 -15.6% -10.9% 11,180 9,213 -1,967 -17.6% -5.3% 2,095Utilities 8,121 6,122 -1,999 -24.6% -24.6% 6,046 4,561 -1,485 -24.6% -18.3% 2,076 1,561 -515 -24.8% -6.3% 970Wholesale 24,657 21,521 -3,136 -12.7% -12.7% 17,762 15,842 -1,920 -10.8% -7.8% 6,895 5,679 -1,217 -17.6% -4.9% 704Transport 20,732 18,481 -2,251 -10.9% -10.9% 14,923 13,642 -1,281 -8.6% -6.2% 5,809 4,839 -970 -16.7% -4.7% 311Professional 57,962 54,653 -3,310 -5.7% -5.7% 33,512 31,705 -1,807 -5.4% -3.1% 24,450 22,947 -1,503 -6.1% -2.6% 304Education 73,988 74,179 191 0.3% 0.3% 23,801 23,770 -31 -0.1% 0.0% 50,188 50,408 221 0.4% 0.3% 251Public Admin 41,854 41,462 -392 -0.9% -0.9% 22,497 22,212 -285 -1.3% -0.7% 19,358 19,250 -107 -0.6% -0.3% 178Management 6,119 5,277 -842 -13.8% -13.8% 2,848 2,357 -491 -17.2% -8.0% 3,271 2,920 -351 -10.7% -5.7% 140Other Svcs 22,513 21,375 -1,138 -5.1% -5.1% 11,676 11,069 -607 -5.2% -2.7% 10,837 10,306 -532 -4.9% -2.4% 75Agriculture 10,275 10,509 234 2.3% 2.3% 7,507 7,622 115 1.5% 1.1% 2,768 2,887 119 4.3% 1.2% 4Finance 11,288 9,953 -1,335 -11.8% -11.8% 6,249 5,722 -527 -8.4% -4.7% 5,039 4,231 -808 -16.0% -7.2% -281Admin 46,763 41,258 -5,506 -11.8% -11.8% 26,801 24,231 -2,570 -9.6% -5.5% 19,962 17,027 -2,935 -14.7% -6.3% -366Information 16,125 14,529 -1,596 -9.9% -9.9% 9,081 8,581 -500 -5.5% -3.1% 7,044 5,949 -1,095 -15.5% -6.8% -595Arts & Ent 16,831 16,359 -473 -2.8% -2.8% 8,597 8,696 100 1.2% 0.6% 8,234 7,662 -572 -6.9% -3.4% -672Mining 19,933 21,777 1,845 9.3% 9.3% 17,225 18,850 1,626 9.4% 8.2% 2,708 2,928 220 8.1% 1.1% -1,406Real Estate 23,473 21,192 -2,281 -9.7% -9.7% 6,213 5,976 -236 -3.8% -1.0% 17,260 15,216 -2,044 -11.8% -8.7% -1,808Accom and food 79,324 78,796 -528 -0.7% -0.7% 35,493 36,343 850 2.4% 1.1% 43,831 42,453 -1,378 -3.1% -1.7% -2,228Retail 102,075 93,722 -8,353 -8.2% -8.2% 49,905 47,007 -2,897 -5.8% -2.8% 52,170 46,715 -5,455 -10.5% -5.3% -2,558All industry 787,225 744,559 -42,667 -5.4% -5.4% 399,316 372,813 -26,503 -6.6% -3.4% 387,910 371,746 -16,164 -4.2% -2.1% 10,339


13

12

several industries that had a disproportionate impact on this shift in employment share. Exhibit 13 shows that construction had the biggest impact on the shift in sex differentiation in employment. In the 2007-8 period, construction employment averaged 59,235, of which men made up 49,185 (83 percent) and women made up 10,050 (17 percent). By the 2011-12 period, the industry averaged a loss of 16,656 jobs (over 28 percent of its total in 2007-8). This translated into 28.3 percent of male and 27.1 percent of female employment being shed within the industry. However, since men held such a large percentage share of jobs in the industry, their loss equated to 13,928 jobs (23.5 percent of total construction jobs), whereas women only lost 2,728 jobs (4.6 percent of total construction jobs). This shows that construction losses alone accounted for a net gain of 11,200 jobs for women relative to men.

FEMALE NET GAINSExhibit 14 shows male and female employment trends (annual moving average) over a six-year period between 2006 and 2012 for construction. It is clear from the trend that the industry was hit very hard by the recession in New Mexico and has yet to fully recover. Male jobs peaked early (at 50,347, in the first quarter of 2007), whereas female jobs peaked in quarter four of 2007 (with 10,344 jobs). Given the large proportion of men in construction, when construction does fully recover, we can expect to see a resurgence of total male employment within New Mexico.

The manufacturing industry had a similar, but smaller, impact on sex differentiation in employment. As Exhibit 13 shows, during the four-year period between 2007-8 and 2011-12, manufacturing employment was reduced by 6,029

to a total of 31,214 jobs; the decline represented a 16.2 percent drop from manufacturing’s 2007-8 average of 37,243 jobs. This represents a loss of 15.6 percent of male jobs in manufacturing and 17.6 percent of female jobs within manufacturing. In this case, females lost more of their own share of jobs within manufacturing than men. However, since males held 70 percent of employment in manufacturing (26,063 jobs), males accounted for 4,063 of the lost jobs, or 10.9 percent of total manufacturing employment. Women lost only 1,967 jobs, or 5.3 percent of total manufacturing jobs. This meant that women ultimately saw a net gain of 4,022 jobs relative to men. Exhibit 15 shows that female manufacturing employment peaked earlier than male employment, both hit a trough at the same period (2011, quarter one), and then male

28,450

20,103

22,001

11,995

8,8309,213

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

12,000

13,000

15,00017,00019,00021,00023,00025,00027,00029,00031,000

Employment in ManufacturingAnnual Moving Average, 2006-2012

Male (left axis)Female (right axis)

15


50,347

35,257

10,344

7,322

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

55,000

Employment in ConstructionAnnual Moving Average, 2006-2012

Male (left axis) Female (right axis)

14


13

employment grew by almost 1,900 jobs (or 9.4 percent), considerably faster than female employment growth (383 jobs or 4.3 percent). The heavy numeric losses to male employment during the downturn, however, meant that men still experienced a net relative loss over the period. Industries that fared well during the recession, such as health care and social assistance, also provided a net gain to women relative to men. For example, as Exhibit 13 shows, health care and social assistance had the biggest impact on total employment share between men and women after construction. Between 2007-8 and 2011-12, the industry grew from 108,715 to 119,602 jobs. Interestingly, although male employment in health care grew by 14.3 percent (while female employment grew by only 8.8 percent), 14.3 percent growth only amounted to 3,433 jobs. On the other hand, due to women’s predominance in health care, 8.8 percent growth in female employment amounted to 7,455 jobs; growth resulted in females gaining a net 4,022 jobs in health care relative to men. Exhibit 16 shows that the six-year trend for health care indicates encouraging growth for both genders and especially good numerical growth for female workers.

MALE NET GAINSExhibit 17 shows the gender differentiated employment trend for retail trade, indicating peaks and troughs. Referring back to Exhibit 13, in the 2007-8 period, retail trade employment averaged 102,075, of which men made up 49,905 (48.9 percent) and women made up 52,170 (51.1 percent). In 2011-12,

22,369

27,367

76,776

92,235

70,000

75,000

80,000

85,000

90,000

95,000

20,00021,00022,00023,00024,00025,00026,00027,00028,000


16


Employment in Health Care and Social Assistance, Annual Moving Average, 2006-2012

49,905

46,742

47,007

52,245

47,093

46,403

42,000

44,000

46,000

48,000

50,000

52,000

54,000

Employment in Retail TradeAnnual Moving Average, 2006-2012


17


18,163

15,021

18,850

2,832

2,541

2,928

2,0002,1002,2002,3002,4002,5002,6002,7002,8002,9003,000

13,000

14,000

15,000

16,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

Employment in Mining, Annual Moving Average, 2006-2012

Male (left axis)

Female (right axis)

18


14

the industry had averaged a loss of 8,353 jobs (over 8.2 percent of its total employment in 2007-8). Interestingly, this translated into 5.8 percent of male employment and 10.5 percent of female employment being shed within the industry. This resulted in job losses of 2,897 for men and 5,455 for women in this industry. Though it is beyond the scope of this article to confirm this, as discussed in the introduction, this imbalance of losses in retail trade may relate to the difference in occupational make-up of men and women within the same industries. In any case, the net result was a relative gain of 2,558 jobs for men. This was the industry in which men made up the most ground on women’s overall relative gain in employment share.

Exhibit 18 shows that mining was a noteworthy industry in which men gained more jobs on average than women. While men gained share in retail trade employment due to reduced comparative losses, mining contributed the most to men’s net gain of jobs relative to women through real job growth. Between the 2007-8 and 2011-12 averages, mining added 1,845 jobs. On average, there were 19,933 workers in the mining industry during 2007-8, and 17,225 of these were men. Consequently, with 9.3 percent growth

over the four years, it is unsurprising that men predominated numerically, with 1,626 additional jobs in contrast to 220 new female jobs. There was a higher percentage increase in male mining employment (9.4 percent) relative to women (8.1 percent), as well as a much larger overall contribution to growth (8.2 and 1.1 percent for male and female employment, respectively). This resulted in a net gain of 1,406 jobs for men relative to women. GENDER DIVERGENCE IN REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT While this article does not cover all the different industries within each region of New Mexico, it is possible to take a snapshot of the gender differences in total employment change. For this

193,677

174,700 175,300

187,876

177,010179,371

2007-8 2009-10 2011-12

Central Region Total Employment Annual Averages, 2007-2012

Male

Female

20


399,316

366,968

372,813

387,910

368,248371,746

2007-8 2009-10 2011-12

New Mexico Total Employment Annual Averages, 2007-2012

Male

Female

19


15

purpose, another annual average block was included from 2009 quarter four to 2010 quarter three to represent the downturn, since this was the period when employment was impacted the most in New Mexico. Exhibit 19 shows that statewide male employment fell by 32,348 jobs during the recession, representing a loss of 8.1 percent. Female employment fell by 16,164 jobs, representing a loss of only 5.1 percent. Male employment then recovered 1.5 percent of the jobs lost, ending on a reduced loss of 26,503 jobs (6.6 percent) by 2011-12. Female employment recovered 1.1 percent of the jobs lost by 2011-12 and ended with a loss of 16,164 jobs (4.2 percent).

Men fared worse than women in each of New Mexico’s four regions during the recession. This trend continued through the recovery period in all regions except for the Eastern Region, which saw a greater recovery for men after the recession ended. Men were most adversely affected, however, in the Central Region. (See Exhibit 20.) Between the 2007-8 and 2009-10 averages, male employment fell by 18,977 jobs (or 9.8 percent), while female employment fell by only 8,505 jobs (5.8 percent). During the next two years, male employment saw only small gains (0.3 percent), whereas female employment improved by 1.3 percent. Importantly, the Central Region contributed 9,872 jobs towards women’s statewide net relative gain of 10,339 jobs. The Southwestern Region had the second largest percentage decline in male employment during the recession, following the Central Region. Male employment declined by

46,399

42,982

44,097

46,873

44,918 44,987

2007-8 2009-10 2011-12

Male

Female

21


Southwestern Region Total Employment Annual Averages, 2007-2012

94,220

87,492 87,430

94,484

89,81489,056

2007-8 2009-10 2011-12

Northern Region Total Employment Annual Averages, 2007-2012

Male

Female

22

Source: US Census Bureau in cooperation with the Departmentof Workforce Solutions

65,020

61,795

65,987

58,677

56,506

58,331

2007-8 2009-10 2011-12

Eastern Region Total Employment Annual Averages, 2007-2012

Male

Female

23

Source: US Census Bureau in cooperation with the Departmentof Workforce Solutions

3,417 jobs from a total average of 46,399 jobs in 2007-8 (or 7.4 percent), while female employment declined by only 4.9 percent (1,955 jobs) from

16

a total of 46,873 jobs. (See Exhibit 21.) Nevertheless, male employment recovered well in the region and, by 2011-12, losses were reduced to 2,302 jobs, or 5.0 percent. In contrast, female employment remained almost the same and ended at a loss of 1,886 jobs, or 4.0 percent. This resulted in a gender divergence of only 0.9 percentage points.

The Northern Region had the third largest numeric decline in male employment during the recession. Male employment declined by 6,728 jobs (or 7.1 percent) from a total average of 94,220 jobs in 2007-8. (See Exhibit 22.) Female employment declined by only 4.9 percent (4,670 jobs) from a total of 94,484 jobs. Declines continued between 2009-10 and 2011-12 for both genders in the Northern Region. Losses were fairly minor for men (62 jobs or 0.1 percent), whereas women lost 758 jobs, or 0.8 percent of total female employment. Thus, by 2011-12, male losses amounted to 6,790 jobs, or 7.2 percent, whereas female employment ended at a loss of 5,428 jobs, or 5.7 percent; these losses resulted in a gender divergence of only 1.5 percentage points (where previously it had been 2.2 percentage points).

The Eastern Region has experienced the strongest recovery of all four regional areas, and this has benefited male workers more than female workers. As Exhibit 23 shows, male employment declined by 3,225 jobs (or 5.0 percent) from a total average of 65,020 jobs in 2007-8, while female employment declined by only 3.7 percent (2,171 jobs) from a total of 58,677 jobs. Between 2009-10 and 2011-12, both genders showed recovery, though employment gains were not quite enough for women to recover all jobs lost (1,825 jobs were recovered, or 3.2 percent). In contrast, men added

4,192 jobs, or 6.8 percent of male employment. Thus, by 2011-12, male gains amounted to 967 jobs, or 1.5 percent, whereas female employment ended at a loss of 346 jobs, or 0.6 percent. This resulted in a gender divergence of 2.1 percentage points (in favor of male workers).

INITIAL CLAIMS DATACounty-level initial claims (first-time filings of applications for unemployment insurance benefits) are reliable indicators of local shifts in the labor market, such as large scale lay-offs. Gender-differentiated, county-level claims data are analyzed here as another indicator of how male and female workers were separately affected during the recession and recovery period. Historical claims

6,989

4,144

01,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,000

Jan-

06

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06

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-06

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07

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07

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Initial Claims in New Mexico, 2006-2013RecessionMale ClaimsFemale Claims

25

Source: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, Program to Measure Insured Unemployed Statistics (PROMIS) database

Male Annual

Average

Female Annual

Average

Total Annual

Average

Male share of

ICs 2006 2,251 1,890 4,141 54.4% 2007 2,645 2,065 4,711 56.2% 2008 3,443 2,370 5,813 59.2% 2009 5,614 3,378 8,992 62.4% 2010 4,221 2,955 7,176 58.8% 2011 4,082 2,997 7,079 57.7% 2012 3,753 2,671 6,423 58.4% 2013 3,635 2,762 6,397 56.8%

Initial Claims in New Mexico 2006-2013 Annual Averages


24

17

data for 2006 through 2013 is shown in Exhibit 24.

Firstly, on a statewide level, initial claims by male workers exceeded those made by female workers when averaged over the year, though seasonality influenced male and female initial claims at different times in the year. As shown in Exhibit 25, male claims tended to peak in January, when construction was in its least busy month, while female claims usually peaked in May or June when schools and colleges break up, impacting companies that provide school services such as transportation and food serving. In the years leading up to the recession, the annual average share of male initial claims rose. The 2006 average male share of initial claims was 54.4 percent; in 2007, it rose to 56.2 percent and, in 2008, it was at 59.2 percent. Men’s share of initial claims peaked at 62.4 percent in 2009. By February 2009, when the recession was taking full effect in New Mexico, the male share of initial claims rose to almost 70 percent. The number of male initial claims peaked a month earlier at 6,989, whereas female claims peaked at slightly over 4,000 claims in May of the same year. Following the official end of the recession, male employment took such a differential hit that male claims never dipped below 50 percent at any time during the summer of 2009. Between 2010

2,375

1,146

1,442

7230

500

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1,500

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2,500

Jan-

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Initial Claims in Bernalillo County, 2006-2013 RecessionMale ClaimsFemale Claims

26

Source: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Program to Measure Insured Unemployed Statistics (PROMIS) database

694489

574

421

0

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800

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Initial Claims in Doña Ana County, 2006-2013

RecessionMale ClaimsFemale Claims

27

Source: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, program to Measure insured Unemployed Statistics (PROMIS) database

18

and 2013, the annual average share of male initial claims always fell within a percentage point of 57 percent; in 2013 the male share of claims was 56.8 percent. This seems to further support the notion, first indicated with employment trend data earlier, that when New Mexico’s economy was at its worst, male workers suffered the greatest job losses.

Given the large population size of Bernalillo County, it should be of no surprise that this county drives the statewide trend in initial claims and shows a very similar pattern. (See Exhibit 26.) In February 2009, male initial claims made up 67 percent of total initial claims in the county. Furthermore, prior to the recession, Bernalillo County experienced similar seasonal dips in the summer, when female claims exceeded male claims. However, after May 2008, male claims exceed female claims for the next five years (until May 2013). In December 2013, the most recent data point, male claims made up 61.3 percent of total claims.

In Doña Ana County, the divergence between genders was more muted than the state as a whole. Exhibit 27 shows that, in the years leading up to the recession, male and female initial claims were similar in amount when averaged over the year. The annual average male share of initial claims was 52 percent in 2006 and 2007 and 57 percent in 2008. Even in 2009, when the recession really took hold, the annual average male share of initial claims still fell below 60 percent. By February 2009, the male

452

115

0

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Initial Claims in Grant County, 2006-2013

RecessionMale ClaimsFemale Claims

29


315

142

492

124

0

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Initial Claims in Eddy and Lea County, 2006-2013

RecessionEddy MaleEddy FemaleLea MaleLea Female

28

Source: New Mexico Department ofWorkforce Solutions, Program to Measure Insured Unemployed Statistics (PROMIS) database

19

share of initial claims was at 65.5 percent, having peaked in number of claims in January 2009 at 694; claims filed by women totaled 415 in the same month.

When we look at counties with mining and extraction industries we see a more clear effect around the time of the recession. Initial claims, for example, in Eddy and Lea counties were quite similar for men and women, prior to the recession. (See Exhibit 28.) Neither male nor female initial claims ever rose above 75 per month in Eddy, apart from one month (and that was for female claims). Then, between December 2008 and April 2010, male initial claims in Eddy County never fell below 75 claims. Female initial claims rose above 75 per month, but only in the period between June and August of 2009. In the first three months of 2009, the share of male initial claims never fell below 80 percent of total claims.

Similarly, in Lea County, between November 2008 and October 2009, male claims made up at least 70 percent of all initial claims. The peak occurred in March 2009, when there were 492 male claims compared to 93 female claims. In January 2009, male initial claims almost reached 90 percent of the total in Lea County.

Exhibit 29 shows that in Grant County, there were 452 male claims and only 115 female claims in February 2009, many of which were probably

related to the well-publicized drops in employment in mining in this county. Male claims made up almost 80 percent of the initial claims for that month.

Given the prominence of durable goods manufacturing in Sandoval County, it is interesting to look at initial claims for all industries mapped against initial claims within durable goods. Exhibit 30 shows that a large spike in initial claims within the durable goods industry in September correlated with an all-industry spike in the same month. A second spike in durable goods in the first few months of 2009 also correlated with a broader rise in initial claims at that time, but in no way accounted for the same percentage of claims as the 2007 spike. This indicates the broad industrial spread and effects of the Great Recession. Nevertheless, as in other counties, the annual average male share of initial claims peaked in 2009 (in this case, at 61 percent).

Lastly, it is worth looking at Luna County to show that, even in a county that has dramatic seasonality in job gains and losses (and thus initial claims), male share of initial claims is still commonly higher. (See Exhibit 31.) In fact, between 2006 and 2012, the annual average male share of initial claims never dropped below 60 percent in Luna County. Even in 2013, when it did fall below this threshold, it only fell to 59 percent.

20

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000

Male Female Male Female

NM Central

$3,777

$2,548

$3,886

$2,755

Central Region Annual Averages of Monthly Earnings, 2007-2012

2007-82009-102011-12

32


Male and Female Earnings–Regional Comparison

Exhibits 32 through 35 compare earnings between men and women within the four regions of New Mexico. The monthly earnings average of New Mexico’s male workers for 2007-8 was $3,539, though for women it was only $2,340. This means that women were paid, on average, a third less than men. Between 2007-8 and 2009-10 male monthly earnings only rose by an average of 1.5 percent and only rose between 2007-8 and 2011-12 by 6.7 percent. On the other hand, female monthly earnings increased by 4.3 percent between 2007-8 and 2009-10 to $2,440 and increased by 8.9 percent between 2007-8 and 2011-12.

In the Central Region, male and female earnings were higher than the statewide averages, and female earnings grew faster than male earnings. While female monthly earnings averaged $2,059 during 2007-8, this had grown by 4.8 percent

313

505

367

193

102

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RecessionMale ClaimsFemale ClaimsMale Durable GoodsFemale Durable Goods

30


Initial Claims in Sandoval County, 2006-2013

332

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168207

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Initial Claims in Luna County, 2006-2013RecessionMale ClaimsFemale Claims

31


21

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000


NM Southwestern

$3,777

$2,548$3,097

$2,152

2007-82009-102011-12

33


Southwestern Region Annual Averagesof Monthly Earnings, 2007-2012

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000


NM Northern

$3,777

$2,548

$3,926

$2,561

Northern Region Annual Average of Monthly Earnings, 2007-2012

2007-82009-102011-12

34

Source: US Census Bureau in cooperation with the Department of Woerkforce Solutions

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000


NM Eastern

$3,777

$2,548

$3,749

$2,196

Eastern Region Annual Average of Monthly Earnings, 2007-2012

2007-82009-102011-1235


in 2009-10 and by 9.8 percent in 2011-12. Nevertheless, women’s average earnings ($2,755 per month), even at this time, were still less than 70 percent of men’s average monthly earnings ($3,886).

In the Southwestern Region, earnings for men and women were lower, on average, than those for the state as a whole. However, with male earnings rising by only 6.1 percent and women’s earning rising by 8.1 percent, there was slightly less divergence between the earnings of the two sexes, and women’s earnings almost made up 70 percent of male earnings.

When we look at the Northern Region, we see that, while average male earnings in 2011-12 ($3,926) had grown at the same rate as those in the Southwestern Region (6.1 percent) since 2007-8, female earnings only grew by 7.3 percent. This means that female earnings ($2,561 as of 2011-12) were only 65.2 percent of male earnings for the same period.

In the Eastern Region, monthly earnings for men averaged $3,437, somewhat lower than male earnings in the Central and Northern Regions, but considerably higher than earnings in the Southwestern Region. Earnings grew only very slightly for men to $3,463 (or 0.7 percent) between 2007-8 and 2009-10. Women’s monthly earnings averaged $2,004 in 2007-8 and grew by 4.9 percent to $2,103 by 2009-10. Much more growth occurred in the recovery period, and, by 2011-12, male earnings had grown by an average of 9.1 percent to $3,749, and women’s monthly

earnings had averaged $2,196 (having grown by 9.6 percent).

2222

The latest business news (new and updated stories from December 2013 through February 2014) gathered from published articles, government documents, private- and public-sector news releases, and reports from local New Mexico Workforce Connection Centers. In most cases, information is not verified for accuracy.

Business Expansion

Business Opeining Business Contraction

Business Closing

Statewide Wind farm developer and

operator BayWa, which recently acquired assets for a 20-megawatt project south of Grady in Curry County, announced plans to build a 15-megawatt operation in Chaves County. Construction will likely employ about 100 workers at each site.

Walmart will open two new Neighborhood Market grocery stores by early next year: one in Rio Rancho, at Southern Boulevard and NM 528, and the other in Albuquerque, at Juan Tabo and Montgomery NE, with each expected to employ about 65.

Home Depot will add 375 seasonal workers at its Albuquerque-area stores for the busy spring season and about 45 at each of its other stores throughout New Mexico. The company expects to hire 80,000 workers at its 2,263 retail stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Lowe’s plans to increase staffing by 25,000 for the spring season at its 1,825 home improvement stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The company did not announce state-specific hiring estimates.

Central RegionBERNALILLO COUNTY

The television pilot “Hieroglyph,” starring Reece Ritchie, Kelsey Chow, and Condola Rashad, will begin filming in mid-March in Albuquerque and continue for 13 episodes through July, employing about 150 locals as crew members and an equal number as actors and extras.

Applebee’s will begin construction in March on a new Albuquerque location at the Holly Place shopping center, northeast of the Paseo del Norte/Interstate 25 intersection. The NMDWS LASER system lists an employee size range of 50–99 for existing Applebee’s restaurants.

Local pizza chain Dion’s opened its first location in Albuquerque’s South Valley (and 19th overall) on January 6,

REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWSREGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

2323

REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWSemploying about 65. The 5,974-square-foot restaurant is part of the Las Estancias development, near the intersection of Coors and Rio Bravo.

Albuquerque’s second Freddy’s Frozen Custard restaurant was set to open December 17 in the Corrales Shopping Center, at the corner of Alameda Boulevard and Corrales Road, likely employing about 75.

NextCare and Lovelace Health Systems have partnered to open two urgent care centers in Albuquerque, with three more on the way. The five facilities will create a combined 100 new jobs.

The Stumbling Steer, a 270-seat gastropub, held its grand opening on February 12, after a five-month, nearly $2 million renovation, in the former Quarters location on Albuquerque’s West Side, employing about 60.

The thriller “Good Kill,” starring Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoe

Kravitz, and Jake Abel, was scheduled to film in Albuquerque from late February through March, employing about 140 area residents as crew members, 15 as actors, and 200 as background talent.

Coronado Center, the largest shopping mall in New Mexico, will undergo a 10-month, multimillion-dollar renovation in 2014—coinciding with its 50th anniversary—that is expected to generate 300 construction jobs.

The Albuquerque metro area will be down to two Kmart stores—one on Carlisle NE and the other in Rio Rancho—after

the company closes its Central SW location in mid-May, eliminating 80 positions. Kmart shuttered its Montgomery NE store last September, displacing 19 workers.

SANDOVAL COUNTY DHF Technical Products, a

precious metals processing company, will open a 25,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility in Rio Rancho that will create 35 new jobs immediately and up to 50 over time.

La Vida Llena will break ground this summer in Rio Rancho on The Neighborhood, an assisted living community that is expected to employ about 120. The $50 million, more than 200-unit complex will be located on 12 acres at Loma Colorado Drive and Northern Boulevard.

PNM’s planned solar energy generation center in Sandoval County could be operational by the end of this year. Construction of the 6.1-megawatt facility, to be located on an 80-acre site about

REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

2424

seven miles west of Rio Rancho’s city limits, will create 100 temporary jobs.

VALENCIA COUNTY

Applebee’s held a grand opening December 16 at its new restaurant in Los Lunas. The nearly 6,000-square-foot facility, featuring a new design format available at just a few locations, employs about 130 full- and part-time workers.

Eastern RegionCHAVES COUNTY

Santa Fe-based K-Bob’s opened a new location on North Main Street in Roswell, in a 6,000-square-foot space attached to Best Western Sally Port Inn & Suites, employing 125.

Northern RegionSANTA FE COUNTY

The A&E drama series “Longmire” will begin its third season of production this spring in and around Santa Fe, employing more than 100 area residents as crew members and hundreds more as actors and extras.

Southwestern RegionDOÑA ANA COUNTY

Progress is ahead of schedule at UP’s $400 million railyard project near Santa Teresa, with construction currently employing about 250 workers. The facility, expected to create more than 600 permanent positions, could be operational in 2014.

Aerospace, health care, and defense contractor General Dynamics is expanding operations at its Las Cruces support center and adding 200 new full-time positions, including service representatives, back-office managers, quality specialists, and trainers.

The City of Las Cruces will transfer ownership of the original Memorial General Hospital

building, recently home to municipal offices but vacant since 2010, to La Clinica de Familia in exchange for the company’s commitment to add at least 55 jobs within three years.

Furr’s Fresh Buffet in Las Cruces closed January 20, eliminating 50 to 60 full- and part-time positions.

SOCORRO COUNTY Solaro Energy, a manufacturer

of residential and commercial solar products, has ramped up to 20 employees since building its new production facility just outside of Socorro less than a year ago. The company’s owner expects employment to grow to 100 in five years.

2525

This section provides information on the following three separate labor market measurements for each region and county in New Mexico:

EMPLOYMENT• Historicalyear-over-year

percentage changes in employment for January 2009 through September 2013.

•Year-over-yearchangesinemployment for the most recent quarter for which data is available (3rd quarter 2013).

• Informationonindustriesthat experienced the largest employment changes (gains or losses) for the most recent quarter for which data is available. When applicable, it is noted when employment changes were due to a one-time location or code change in a particular industry in the Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages (QCEW) program. One-time code changes represent updates to the categorization of the data and not necessarily actual job losses or gains. These changes are referred to as “non-economic data changes.” Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), historical up to 3rd quarter 2013 data.bb

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE• Themostrecent

unemployment rate available (February 2014) compared to the previous month (January 2014) and the same

month for the previous year (February 2013). Rates presented are all non-seasonally adjusted.Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS).

AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES:• Amapshowingtherange

of average weekly wages for each county by region for the most recent month for which data is available (September 2013).Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). d

Note that percentage changes in year-over-year employment can appear significantly large in small counties. A county’s population and employment size will contribute to more drastic percentage changes, while numerical changes remain small. It is important to be aware that year-over-year employment fluctuations from quarter to quarter are typically expected (often in relation to seasonality and other factors) and an evaluation of long-term trends would require a historical analysis beyond the most recent quarter.

Central Region Economic DataThe Central Region, overall, experienced over-the-year employment gains in the third quarter of 2013 (0.7 percent, or 2,530 jobs). All four counties had been experiencing trending improvement in employment changes over the year,

throughout 2012. Over-the-year employment growth slowed for all four counties in 2013, with over-the-year growth reaching negative levels for Torrance and, most recently, Sandoval. Non-economic data changes caused over-the-year growth to vary widely throughout 2012 in both Valencia and Torrance counties. Both counties once again experienced over-the-year growth rates more in line with 2011 levels in 2013, as non-economic data changes were fully absorbed into the data set. The non-economic data changes in these two counties did not necessarily reflect job losses or gains in total. The Central Region’s unemployment rate in February 2014 (7.5 percent) was higher than that of the state as a whole (7.3 percent). Three of the four central counties saw an increase in their unemployment rates between January and February; Torrance County’s unemployment rate declined over the month. Unemployment rates changed little to none over the year in all counties except Torrance. New Mexico’s rate remained the same while the U.S. unemployment rate declined by 1.1 percentage points.

BERNALILLO COUNTYOver the year, Bernalillo County employment increased by 0.8 percent (2,620 jobs). The largest gains were seen in health care; accommodation and food services; construction; and administrative and waste services. The largest losses

COUNTY EMPLOYMENT & UNEMPLOYMENT

2626

occurred in information and the federal government. The unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in February 2014, up from 6.9 percent in January and unchanged from 7.3 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $808.

SANDOVAL COUNTYOver the year, Sandoval County employment declined by 0.7 percent (190 jobs). The largest losses occurred in retail trade and manufacturing (with some non-economic data changes in finance and insurance). Gains, which mostly occurred in

health care and administrative and waste services, somewhat offset these losses. Sandoval’s unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in February 2014, up from 7.9 percent in January and unchanged from 8.2 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $793.

-11.0%

-9.0%

-7.0%

-5.0%

-3.0%

-1.0%

1.0%

3.0%

5.0%

7.0%

9.0%

11.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentCentral Region, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico Bernalillo Sandoval Torrance Valencia*

*See text for further information.

0.9%

0.7%

1.0%0.8%

-0.7%-0.8%

New Mexico Central Valencia Bernalillo Sandoval Torrance

12-Month Percentage Change in EmploymentCentral Region, Q3 2012 to Q3 2013

2727

TORRANCE COUNTYOver the year, Torrance County employment declined by 0.8 percent less (20 jobs). The large variations in employment throughout 2012 were mostly due to non-economic data changes in each quarter. In 2013, the county saw over-the-year changes more in line with growth seen prior to these non-economic changes. Losses were mostly due to non-economic data changes, with the largest real losses occurring in local government. Gains were largest in retail trade. Torrance’s unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in February 2014, down from January’s rate of 9.4 percent but up from 8.5 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $580.

VALENCIA COUNTYOver the year, Valencia County employment increased by 1.0 percent (120 jobs). The large variations in employment during 2012 were mostly due to non-economic data changes in each quarter. In 2013, the county saw over-the-year changes more in line with growth seen prior to these non-economic changes. Gains were largest in construction, with several other industries seeing non-economic data changes. Losses were largest in manufacturing. Valencia’s unemployment rate was 8.4 percent in February 2014, up from 7.7 percent in January and close to the 8.3 percent reached a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $548.

Eastern Region Economic DataThe Eastern Region experienced over-the-year employment growth of 2.2 percent (approximately 2,820 jobs) in the third quarter of 2013. The region has been growing the fastest of all regions in the state, with over-the-year growth exceeding 2.0 percent since the fourth quarter of 2012. Activity in the mining industry, particularly in Lea and Eddy counties, is primarily responsible for this growth. Even with growth of 2.2 percent, six of the 12 eastern counties experienced year-over-year job losses in the third quarter of 2013. De Baca and Roosevelt counties joined Chaves, Curry,

Average Weekly WagesCentral Region, 3rd Quarter 2013

Torrance$580

Valencia$548

Bernalillo$808

Sandoval$793

Central Region: $795New Mexico: $766

$1,000 to $1,600$850 to $999$700 to $849$550 to $699$400 to $549

8.5%

8.3%

8.2%

7.3%

7.5%

7.3%

8.1%

9.4%

7.7%

7.9%

6.9%

7.1%

6.9%

7.0%

8.9%

8.4%

8.2%

7.3%

7.5%

7.3%

7.0%

Torrance

Valencia

Sandoval

Bernalillo

Central

NewMexico

UnitedStates

Unemployment RatesCentral RegionJan/Feb 2014 & Over the Year

Feb-14Jan-14Feb-13

Central Region: $795New Mexico: $766

$1,000 to $1,600$850 to $999$700 to $849$550 to $699$400 to $549

Average Weekly WagesCentral Region, 3rd Quarter 2013

2828

-15.0%

-10.0%

-5.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentEastern Region, Top 4 Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico Chaves Eddy Lea Otero

Harding, and Quay (counties with job losses in the second quarter) as the counties with over-the-year losses in the third quarter. Losses were fewer than 25 in De Baca, Harding, and Roosevelt counties, however small losses can have large impacts in less populated areas. Growth was greatest in Lea and Eddy, with a gain of over 2,800 jobs between the two counties. This growth is definitely driving the upward employment trend for the entire region. Otero, Lincoln, and Guadalupe have all experienced several quarters of over-the-year growth, but employment gains have been small in comparison to those in Lea and Eddy. Gains have also been declining somewhat in the last few quarters in these counties, with over-the-year growth even turning negative in September of 2013 for Lincoln County. Positively, over-the-year

job losses in Chaves County have been slowing, with the county trending towards positive employment growth that may have even been realized in the last quarter of 2013 (data for the fourth quarter is not yet available).

The Eastern Region’s unemployment rate (5.6 percent) was much lower than the statewide rate (7.3 percent) in February 2014. All 12 eastern counties saw their unemployment rates increase between January and February. Five of the 12 eastern counties saw a decrease in their unemployment rate over the year. Guadalupe County saw the largest decline in its unemployment rate over the year (0.9 percentage points) while De Baca County saw the largest increase (0.6 percentage points).

CHAVES COUNTYOver the year, Chaves County employment declined 0.4 percent (80 jobs). Most of the losses and gains in Chaves were due to non-economic data changes. Losses were largest in agriculture and state government. Losses were somewhat offset by gains that were largest in the retail trade industry. Chaves’s unemployment rate was 7.0 percent in February 2014, up from 6.6 percent in January and 6.8 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $604. CURRY COUNTYOver the year, Curry County employment declined by 0.2 percent (30 jobs). Losses were mostly due to non-economic data changes, while gains were largest in accommodation and food services. Curry’s unemployment rate was 5.7

2929

-15.0%

-10.0%

-5.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentEastern Region, Mid-Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico Curry Lincoln Quay Roosevelt

percent in February 2014, up from 5.1 percent in January and 5.5 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $621.

DE BACA COUNTYOver the year, De Baca County employment declined by 3.4 percent (20 jobs). Losses were largest, albeit still small, in local government. Small gains in accommodation and food services partially offset those losses. De Baca’s unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in February 2014, up from 4.0 percent in January and 4.8 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $505.

EDDY COUNTYOver the year, Eddy County employment increased by 5.6 percent (1,390 jobs). The greatest hiring occurred in the mining industry. Gains were

largest in mining, followed by transportation and the other services industry. The county saw some non-economic data changes, with real losses being largest in health care. Eddy’s unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in February 2014, up from 3.9 percent in January and 4.3 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $936.

GUADALUPE COUNTYOver the year, Guadalupe County employment increased by 3.0 percent (40 jobs). Gains were largest, although still small, in retail trade and construction. Losses in local government partially offset those gains. Guadalupe’s unemployment rate was 8.6 percent in February 2014, up from 7.9 percent in January but down from 9.5 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $471.

HARDING COUNTYHarding County employment was roughly the same in the third quarter of 2013 as in the same quarter the previous year (a 4.0 percent decrease equates to very few jobs). Gains in manufacturing almost entirely offset losses in local government. Harding’s unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in February 2014, up from 4.2 percent in January and close to the 4.7 percent rate reached a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $663. LEA COUNTYOver the year, Lea County employment increased by 4.8 percent (1,450 jobs). Job gains in the construction and mining industries led over-the-year employment growth. The arts, entertainment, and recreation industry experienced over-the-year job losses. Lea’s

3030

0.9%2.2%

5.6%4.8%

3.0%

0.8% 0.4% 0.1%

-0.2% -0.4% -0.4%-2.0%

-3.4% -4.0%

New

Mex

ico

East

ern

Eddy Le

a

Guad

alup

e

Ote

ro

Uni

on

Linc

oln

Curr

y

Roos

evel

t

Chav

es

Qua

y

De B

aca

Hard

ing

12-Month Percentage Change in EmploymentEastern Region, Q3 2012 to Q3 2013

-20.0%

-15.0%

-10.0%

-5.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentEastern Region, Least Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico De Baca Guadalupe Harding Union

unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in February 2014, up from 3.9 percent in January and close to the 4.4 percent rate reached a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $940.

LINCOLN COUNTYLincoln County employment was roughly the same in the

third quarter of 2013 as in the same quarter the previous year. Losses in transportation and accommodation and food services were offset by gains in local government and retail trade. Lincoln’s unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in February 2014, up from 5.8 percent in January but down from 6.5

percent seen in February of the previous year. The average weekly wage was $536.

OTERO COUNTYOver the year, Otero County employment increased by 0.8 percent (130 jobs). Gains were largest in local government, with other gains resulting from non-

3131

economic data changes. Losses were largest in accommodation and foods services, along with the federal government. Otero’s unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in February 2014, up from 5.8 percent in January but down from 6.7 percent the previous year. The average weekly wage was $647.

QUAY COUNTYOver the year, Quay County employment declined by 2.0

percent (50 jobs). Gains in wholesale trade were smaller than losses experienced in retail trade, local government, and accommodation and food services. Some losses were due to non-economic data changes. Quay’s unemployment rate was 6.6 percent in February 2014, up from 6.1 percent rate in January but down from 7.0 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $532.

ROOSEVELT COUNTYOver the year, Roosevelt County employment declined by 0.4 percent (20 jobs). Losses that were largest in state government surpassed gains that were largest in retail trade and agriculture. Roosevelt’s unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in February 2014, up from 5.0 percent in January and close to the 5.3 percent rate in February of the previous year. The average weekly wage was $566.

9.5%

6.8%

7.0%

6.5%

6.7%

5.7%

5.5%

4.8%

5.3%

4.7%

4.3%

4.4%

5.6%

7.3%

8.1%

7.9%

6.6%

6.1%

5.8%

5.8%

5.3%

5.1%

4.0%

5.0%

4.2%

3.9%

3.9%

5.1%

6.9%

7.0%

8.6%

7.0%

6.6%

6.3%

6.3%

6.2%

5.7%

5.4%

5.4%

4.6%

4.5%

4.5%

5.6%

7.3%

7.0%

Guadalupe

Chaves

Quay

Lincoln

Otero

Union

Curry

De Baca

Roosevelt

Harding

Eddy

Lea

Eastern

New Mexico

UnitedStates

Unemployment RatesEastern RegionJan/Feb 2014 & Over the Year

Feb-14Jan-14Feb-13

Average Weekly WagesEastern Region, 3rd Quarter 2013

Chaves$604

Lincoln$536

Otero$647

Lea$940

Eddy$936

Harding$663

Union$559

De Baca$505

Roosevelt$566

Curry$621

Quay$532Guadalupe

$471

Eastern Region: $751New Mexico: $766

$1,000 to $1,600$850 to $999$700 to $849$550 to $699$400 to $549

3232

UNION COUNTYUnion County employment was roughly the same in the third quarter of 2013 as in the same quarter the previous. Gains in health care and local government nearly equaled losses in retail trade and agriculture (with a few other industries experiencing gains due to non-economic data changes). Union’s unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in February 2014, up from 5.3 percent in January and 5.7 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $559.

Northern Region County NewsThe Northern Region, overall, experienced small employment gains between the third quarters

of 2012 and 2013 (0.2 percent or about 440 jobs). This was the smallest over-the-year growth of all the regions. Half of the northern counties experience over-the-year employment growth, while half experienced job losses. Colfax, San Juan, San Miguel, Santa Fe, and Taos counties have been the drivers of recent over-the-year job growth; all five counties have seen overall growth since the fourth quarter of 2012 (with just a fewer minor dips into negative growth in certain months). Los Alamos and McKinley counties have seen the largest and most consistent over-the-year job losses. McKinley County has experienced three quarters of consecutive losses, with the largest losses experienced most recently in the third quarter of 2013. Los Alamos has experienced significant

over-the-year losses, and losses have been fairly persistent since mid-2010. Positively, both Taos and Colfax counties have seen their over-the-year growth rates generally exceed that of the state in 2013.

The Northern Region’s unemployment rate (7.3 percent) was the same as that of the state in February 2014. Eight of the northern counties saw their unemployment rates increase between January and February; Mora saw its rate decline by 1.0 percentage point while Taos’s rate remained the same. Over the year, one half of the counties—Mora, Taos, Rio Arriba, Colfax, and San Miguel—saw their unemployment rate decline. Cibola County experienced the largest increase (0.6 percentage points), while Colfax experienced

-12.0%

-8.0%

-4.0%

0.0%

4.0%

8.0%

12.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentNorthern Region, Most Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico McKinley Rio Arriba San Juan Santa Fe

3333

-13.0%

-11.0%

-9.0%

-7.0%

-5.0%

-3.0%

-1.0%

1.0%

3.0%

5.0%

7.0%

9.0%

11.0%

13.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentNorthern Region, Mid-Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico Cibola San Miguel Taos

-16.0%

-12.0%

-8.0%

-4.0%

0.0%

4.0%

8.0%

12.0%

16.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentNorthern Region, Least Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico Colfax Los Alamos Mora

3434

the largest decrease in its rate (0.6 percentage points).

CIBOLA COUNTYOver the year, Cibola County employment declined by 3.5 percent (270 jobs). Losses in local government and health care exceeded gains in retail trade and administrative and waste services. Cibola’s unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in February 2014, up from 6.5 percent in January and the 6.5 percent rate reached a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $674.

COLFAX COUNTYOver the year, employment in Colfax County increased by 1.8 percent (100 jobs). Gains were mostly due to non-economic data changes, with real gains largest in the accommodation and food services and the other services industries. Losses were largest in local government and health care. Colfax’s unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in February 2014, up from 6.9 percent in January but down from 7.9 percent the previous year. The average weekly wage was $497.

LOS ALAMOS COUNTYOver the year, Los Alamos County employment declined by 1.7 percent (270 jobs). Losses in professional and technical services, wholesale trade, and health care exceeded gains in the other services industry. Los Alamos’s unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in February 2014, up from 3.9 percent in January and 4.3 percent a year earlier.

0.9% 0.2%

2.2% 2.3% 1.9% 1.8%0.6%

-1.4% -1.7%-3.5% -3.7%

-8.5%

New

Mex

ico

Nor

ther

n

Taos

San

Juan

San

Mig

uel

Colfa

x

Sant

a Fe

Rio

Arrib

a

Los A

lam

os

Cibo

la

McK

inle

y

Mor

a

12-Month Percentage Change in EmploymentNorthern Region, Q3 2012 to Q3 2013

15.3%

9.1%

9.2%

9.0%

7.9%

7.2%

6.5%

7.2%

6.0%

4.3%

7.3%

7.3%

8.1%

16.0%

9.3%

9.0%

8.7%

6.9%

6.7%

6.5%

6.9%

5.6%

3.9%

6.9%

6.9%

7.0%

15.0%

9.6%

9.0%

8.9%

7.3%

7.2%

7.1%

7.1%

6.0%

4.5%

7.3%

7.3%

7.0%

Mora

McKinley

Taos

Rio Arriba

Colfax

San Juan

Cibola

San Miguel

Santa Fe

Los Alamos

Northern

New Mexico

United States

Unemployment RatesNorthern RegionJan/Feb 2014 & Over the Year

Feb-14Jan-14Feb-13

3535

RIO ARRIBA COUNTYOver the year, Rio Arriba County employment declined by 1.4 percent (130 jobs). Losses were largely due to non-economic data changes, with the largest real losses occurring in retail trade and state government. Gains were largest in accommodation and food services. Rio Arriba’s unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in February 2014, up from 8.7 percent in January and close to 9.0 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $581.

SAN JUAN COUNTYOver the year, San Juan County employment increased by 2.3 percent (1,080 jobs). Gains were largest in local government and accommodation and food services (with some non-economic changes in health care). Losses were largest in the federal government, with some non-economic data changes in the other services industry. San Juan’s unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in February 2014, up from 6.7 percent in January and

unchanged from 7.2 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $817.

SAN MIGUEL COUNTYOver the year, San Miguel employment increased by 1.9 percent (150 jobs). Gains were mostly due to non-economic data changes in health care, while real losses were largest in local government. San Miguel’s unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in February 2014, up from 6.9 percent in January and close to the 7.2 percent rate reached a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $558.

SANTA FE COUNTYOver the year, Santa Fe County employment increased by 0.6 percent (370 jobs). Gains in construction, administrative and waste services, and information offset losses that were largest in state government and health care. Santa Fe’s unemployment rate was 6.0 percent in February 2014, up from 5.6 percent in January and unchanged from

The average weekly wage was $1,361.

MCKINLEY COUNTYOver the year, McKinley County employment declined by 3.7 percent (750 jobs). Losses were largest in the federal government, mining, transportation and warehousing, and construction. Gains in local government and retail trade somewhat offset those losses. McKinley’s unemployment rate was 9.6 percent in February 2014, up from 9.3 percent in January and 9.1 percent in February 2013. The average weekly wage was $598.

MORA COUNTYOver the year, Mora County employment declined by 8.5 percent (60 jobs). Gains in retail trade were completely offset by losses in local government and construction. Mora’s unemployment rate was 15.0 percent in February 2014, down from 16.0 percent in January and 15.3 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $544.

Average Weekly WagesNorthern Region, 3rd Quarter 2013

Los Alamos$1,361 Santa

Fe$761

Rio Arriba$581

Taos$567

Colfax$497

Mora$544

San Miguel$558

San Juan$817

McKinley$598

Cibola$674

Northern Region: $769New Mexico: $766

$1,000 to $1,600$850 to $999$700 to $849$550 to $699$400 to $549

3636

6.0 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $761.

TAOS COUNTY Over the year, Taos County employment increased by 2.2 percent (230 jobs). Gains were largest in accommodation and food services and real estate, while losses were largest in administrative and waste services and health care. Taos’s unemployment rate was 9.0 percent in February 2014, unchanged from January’s rate and down from 9.2 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $567.

Southwestern Region County NewsThe Southwestern Region experienced over-the-year employment gains of 1.2 percent, or 1,180 jobs, between the third quarters of 2012 and 2013. Growth in Doña Ana has been leading the way, as over-the-year job gains exceeded 800 in every quarter since September 2012. Sierra County saw a return to positive job growth in the third quarter of 2013, after a brief dip to negative gains in the second quarter. Catron County has also seen consistent increases in employment over the year, although numerical job gains are small for this less populated county. Over-the-year job losses were greatest in Grant and Socorro counties. Luna also experienced its first over-the-

year job losses in some time in the third quarter of 2013. Again, Doña Ana is a bright spot for the region, with employment growth trending upwards since late 2012. Several other Southwestern counties have been experiencing a trending decline in employment growth.

The Southwestern Regions unemployment rate (8.8 percent) was higher than that of the state as a whole (7.3 percent) in February 2014. The region has historically had some of the highest unemployment rates of the four regions. All seven counties, except Luna, saw their unemployment rate increase between January and February. The unemployment rate in three of the seven counties decreased over the year. Luna County’s rate decreased the most (1.1 percentage points), although the county still had the highest unemployment rate in the state. Socorro County’s rate increased the most (0.3 percentage points).

CATRON COUNTYCatron County employment was roughly the same in the third quarter of 2013 as in the same quarter the previous year (a 1.1 percent increase equates to very few jobs). Small gains in agriculture were offset by losses in the federal government and education services. Catron’s unemployment rate was 8.0 percent in February 2014, up from 7.5 percent in January but down from 8.3 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $610.

DOÑA ANA COUNTYOver the year, Doña Ana County employment increased by 2.5 percent (1,680 jobs). Gains were largest in accommodation and food services. Losses in transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, and the federal government somewhat offset those gains. Doña Ana’s unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in February 2014, up from 7.8 percent in January and close to the 8.0 percent rate reached a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $649.

GRANT COUNTYOver the year, Grant County employment declined by 4.2 percent (400 jobs). Losses were largest in local government and were only partially offset by gains in state government and mining. Grant’s unemployment rate was 7.7 percent in February 2014, up from 7.4 percent in January and unchanged from 7.7 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $716.

HIDALGO COUNTYOver the year, Hidalgo County employment declined by 1.1 percent (20 jobs). Losses were largest in local and federal government, while gains were largest in agriculture and health care. Hidalgo’s unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in February 2014, up from 6.6 percent in January but down from 7.6 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $698.

LUNA COUNTYOver the year, Luna County

37

-16.0%

-12.0%

-8.0%

-4.0%

0.0%

4.0%

8.0%

12.0%

16.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentSouthwest Region, Most Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico Doña Ana Grant Luna

-16.0%

-12.0%

-8.0%

-4.0%

0.0%

4.0%

8.0%

12.0%

16.0%

12-Month Percentage Changes in EmploymentSouthwest Region, Least Populated Counties, Jan 09 to Sep 13

New Mexico Catron Hidalgo Sierra Socorro

38

0.9% 1.2%

5.3%

2.5%1.1%

-0.7% -1.1%

-3.7% -4.2%

New

Mex

ico

Sout

hwes

tern

Sier

ra

Doña

Ana

Catr

on

Luna

Hida

lgo

Soco

rro

Gran

t

12-Month Percentage Change in EmploymentSouthwestern Region, Q3 2012 to Q3 2013

19.9%

8.0%

8.3%

7.7%

7.5%

7.6%

5.5%

8.8%

7.3%

8.1%

20.0%

7.8%

7.5%

7.4%

7.1%

6.6%

5.4%

8.6%

6.9%

7.0%

18.8%

8.1%

8.0%

7.7%

7.5%

7.1%

5.8%

8.8%

7.3%

7.0%

Luna

DoñaAna

Catron

Grant

Sierra

Hidalgo

Socorro

Southwestern

NewMexico

UnitedStates

Unemployment RatesSouthwestern RegionJan/Feb 2014 & Over the Year

Feb-14Jan-14Feb-13

Average Weekly WagesSouthwestern Region, 3rd Quarter 2013

Luna$581

Hidalgo$698

Grant$716

Catron$610

Socorro$667

Sierra$525

Doña Ana$649

S.Western Region: $647New Mexico: $766

$1,000 to $1,600$850 to $999$700 to $849$550 to $699$400 to $549

39

were largest in health care, agriculture, and accommodation and food services. Losses were largest in the federal government and manufacturing. Sierra’s unemployment rate was 7.5 percent in February 2014, up from 7.1 percent in January and unchanged from 7.5 percent in February 2013. The average weekly wage was $525.

SOCORRO COUNTYOver the year, Socorro County employment declined by

3.7 percent (200 jobs). Losses were largest in state government and professional and technical services (with some non-economic data changes realized in transportation and warehousing). Gains were largest in health care. Socorro’s unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in February 2014, up from 5.4 percent in January and 5.5 percent in February of the previous year. The average weekly wage was $667.

employment declined by 0.7 percent (approximately 60 jobs). Gains in health care were completely offset by losses in agriculture and local government. Luna’s unemployment rate was 18.8 percent in February 2014, down from 20.0 percent in January and 19.9 percent a year earlier. The average weekly wage was $581.

SIERRA COUNTYOver the year, Sierra County employment increased by 5.3 percent (170 jobs). Gains

40

New Mexico Department of Workforce SolutionsEconomic Research & Analysis Bureau (CC 6097)P.O. Box 1928Albuquerque, NM 87103OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Phone: 505-383-2729Fax: 505-383-2739www.dws.state.nm.us

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Economic Research & Analysis Bureau (ER&A) collects, develops, analyzes, and publishes labor market information for New Mexico. The Bureau produces statistical and analytical information about trends in industry employment, skill needs, unemployment, occupations in demand, and a range of labor market information used by employers, educators, workers, students, economic developers and policy makers at all levels. Information produced by ER&A is vital as we continue to identify and promote the workforce skills required to drive innovation and keep New Mexico businesses competitive.

To view additional Labor Market Information Publications visit www.dws.state.nm.us/LMI

volume 4 | issue 2 spring 2014 regional review

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