On August 9, Porter White & Company (PWCo) released its Q1 2016 Birmingham Area Economic Report. The report places the Birmingham area economy in a state, regional and national context, and focuses on the following statistical series: (A) number of people employed, (B) retail sales, (C) occupational tax collections, (D) airport enplanements, and (E) commercial and industrial electricity sales.
According to the data in the report, Alabama’s job growth has lagged all other states for the past decade. Several MSAs – including Birmingham – have not fully regained jobs lost as a result of the Great Recession.
The report highlights a few positive trends, including the fact that the Auburn-Opelika MSA has seen the largest total employment growth in Alabama for the past ten years.
Cynthia Williford, reporter at the Opelika-Auburn News, explored Auburn’s job growth in an article entitled, “Auburn-Opelika area sees largest employment growth in Alabama since recession.”
In the piece, Williford cited the PWCo economic report and included additional insight from Auburn Economic Development Director Phillip Dunlap. According to Dunlap, “That statistic bears out the strategy that we’ve followed for over 30 years of targeting technology-based, value-added companies, value-added manufacturing,”
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