I see that the number of employees have gone up -- both in terms of actual numbers and in terms of percentage of total workforce -- with few exceptions.
One important exception is Miami-Dade County.
Miami-Dade County actually lowered its workforce in 2009 compared to 2000 in terms of actual numbers and in terms of percentage of total workforce.
The City of Miami, for example, increased from 3,400 employees in 2000 to 4,400 employees in 2009.
The School Board increased from 35,469 to 38,819.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade DECREASED from 30,000 in 2000 to 29,000 in 2009.
Even with the huge jump in JMH employees, because of a growing demand for public health services, the percentage of the workforce represented by government has gone down.
As the earlier anon points out County government went down even though there was a substantial rise in total population.
Overall, the top 5 employers represented 10% of the workforce in 2000. That's down to 9.5% today even in the middle of the "great recession" and 12% local unemployment.
You're right that there aren't any big employers in Miami-Dade, but when were there? We're a non-industrial city. We're not a company town. We're dominated by small business, usually in the tourism sector or finance. Even the big banks in town (our #2 economic activity) don't individually employ enough people to make the top 15.
What's the difference between University of Miami and UM Health? Is the latter what used to be Cedars? Has UM really doubled its workforce in the past 10 years?
I think they should be the largest employers just because they are the ones providing services - they are serving 2.5 million people in a 2000 square mile area...an airline would not have the most employees: they spread their employees out over the US and the world, local government can't do that and still provide services.
Incorporation may explain some of the decrease in county government employees.
Reason why Private Companies may not relocate here. -Sorry ass (yet quite expensive) public school sysyem. -Lack of truely (private sector not hand out) affordable housing. -A local government that tries to extort rather than facilitate business. -Regulations and Beaurocrats that seem to have come straight out of a Kafka novel. -High property tax and insurance cost (which would make a 60K a year employee live like a 18th century serf. Until we fix all these issues no company(ies) in their right mind would want to relocate here.
You Transplanted Yankess always forget the south, Charleston, Charlotte, dallas etc are all low tax low reg cities that are nice and attract plenty of industry. Auto industry not going to Boston or San Fran but moving into southern cities, low reg, low tax, right to work.
Florida is already one of the lowest tax states in the Union. If what you are saying is true, we would have one of the best economies....
But it is the "high tax" states like Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Washington, and Illinois that have the most thriving economies (and by the way provide most of the federal tax dollars that are used to subsidize the poorer "heartland," Republican-voting states like Alaska, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Idaho, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, etc.).
People love Florida for the weather and the beautiful environment -- the expansive beaches, the salt water, the pristine lakes. If you really want to see Florida property values decline, allow more pollution and overbuilding. We will then lose the only selling point we have.
It is true I am a transplant (lived here almost 30 years and raised my kids here). But that is true of virtually everyone in Florida. If your family moved here from Georgia or Alabama in the 1940's you are a transplant too.
In any event, a book we used to read up north advised that we should not sell our heritage for a bowl of lentil soup. Don't be too quick to sell Florida short.
Not surprised. My wife was laid off over a year and half ago from a Fortune 500 company that was here in Miami. Her freind was laid off last week. And with the buyout of Burger King, layoffs are happening there.
A couple of years ago the Herald ran a story regarding the future of Miami and various scenarios that it envisioned for the area. I believe the one with a steady decline: "Sleepy Siesta" is the outcome.
Private corporations here are declining as employers and it is no wonder that they do not pierce the top 10 in meaningfull numbers. (Caveat: Do not ask the Beacon Council as they will cite multiple studies saying otherwise). They're are simply no jobs here for middle level managers, MBAs etc. Banking has been eveserated, media has been relocated to LA and NYC. Those entities in the above mentioned categories that remain are mere spring boards for visa seeking expats.
Our politicians are just no up to the task of stopping the decline. Miami is caught in a relative decline. Without high paying companies here it is impossible to attract other companies and the talent pool that comes with them. Other posters have alluded to lower taxes, schools and population. Florida is relatively low taxed (no income tax). Ad valorem taxes on tangible and intangible property are usually waived for incoming relocations and as incentives for those here not to relocate (See Burger King). The real issue--and I believe the genesis of these blogs--is quality of life. Miami does not have a population base that is attractive to these multinationals. Ours is a deficient skilled workforce. Whether it be in language skills or in managerial skills. These deficiencies are in large part because of our schools. Anyone who has children can attest that unless you are hyper-involved in your school your child shall fall through the cracks.
In addition our infrastructure and transportation system are not beacons to relocating here. Take the nepotism and incompetence and you have Iberia moving its hub to Atlanta a couple of years ago.
A community that has as its biggest employer government can not maintain itself in the long run. Not even Maynard Keynes would disagree with that. You need a diverse tax base that can provide the impetus for economic growth; government can not do it. When the economy was booming our politicians could turn a blind eye because fo the impact fees that were pouring in. Their "so called trade missions" which the Herald highlighted about two years ago produced no tangible benefits other than some commissioners (Rolle) getting their passports for the first time or Siejas going to European junkets.
During the boom they should have focused on attracting corporations here; but they failed. Instead they squandered the revenue that was generated and now have accelerated this community's decline.
When the last logically based citizen leaves, please turn off the lights.
Some interesting statistics related to the County's workforce, over this time:
1.) Even with the incorporations over the past 10 years, the population in Unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County has gone up. 2.) The total county population has grown, and the County still provides many services to those areas that have incorporated (water, trash, roads,traffic, etc...)
It is pretty interesting that the top 5 employers are all government entities. Where are all the private companies?? Pretty slim pickings on those.
12 comments:
If we privatize government, they will all be private companies.
I see that the number of employees have gone up -- both in terms of actual numbers and in terms of percentage of total workforce -- with few exceptions.
One important exception is Miami-Dade County.
Miami-Dade County actually lowered its workforce in 2009 compared to 2000 in terms of actual numbers and in terms of percentage of total workforce.
The City of Miami, for example, increased from 3,400 employees in 2000 to 4,400 employees in 2009.
The School Board increased from 35,469 to 38,819.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade DECREASED from 30,000 in 2000 to 29,000 in 2009.
Even with the huge jump in JMH employees, because of a growing demand for public health services, the percentage of the workforce represented by government has gone down.
As the earlier anon points out County government went down even though there was a substantial rise in total population.
Overall, the top 5 employers represented 10% of the workforce in 2000. That's down to 9.5% today even in the middle of the "great recession" and 12% local unemployment.
You're right that there aren't any big employers in Miami-Dade, but when were there? We're a non-industrial city. We're not a company town. We're dominated by small business, usually in the tourism sector or finance. Even the big banks in town (our #2 economic activity) don't individually employ enough people to make the top 15.
What's the difference between University of Miami and UM Health? Is the latter what used to be Cedars? Has UM really doubled its workforce in the past 10 years?
Don't try to confuse me with the facts.
I am mad as hell and I won't take it anymore.
I want to have a $4 million election to remove Mayor Alvarez, even though he is already term-limited and is a lame-duck!!!!!
I think they should be the largest employers just because they are the ones providing services - they are serving 2.5 million people in a 2000 square mile area...an airline would not have the most employees: they spread their employees out over the US and the world, local government can't do that and still provide services.
Incorporation may explain some of the decrease in county government employees.
Reason why Private Companies may not relocate here.
-Sorry ass (yet quite expensive) public school sysyem.
-Lack of truely (private sector not hand out) affordable housing.
-A local government that tries to extort rather than facilitate business.
-Regulations and Beaurocrats that seem to have come straight out of a Kafka novel.
-High property tax and insurance cost (which would make a 60K a year employee live like a 18th century serf.
Until we fix all these issues no company(ies) in their right mind would want to relocate here.
I do not accept the argument that fewer regulations and lower taxes will attract good jobs.
Boston and San Francisco attract more jobs than we do. They both have substantially more regulations and more taxation.
But they have good schools and they are nice places to live.
If you want low taxes and low regulations, move to Detroit or Baton Rouge -- nobody else wants to live there.
You Transplanted Yankess always forget the south, Charleston, Charlotte, dallas etc are all low tax low reg cities that are nice and attract plenty of industry.
Auto industry not going to Boston or San Fran but moving into southern cities, low reg, low tax, right to work.
Florida is already one of the lowest tax states in the Union. If what you are saying is true, we would have one of the best economies....
But it is the "high tax" states like Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Washington, and Illinois that have the most thriving economies (and by the way provide most of the federal tax dollars that are used to subsidize the poorer "heartland," Republican-voting states like Alaska, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Idaho, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, etc.).
People love Florida for the weather and the beautiful environment -- the expansive beaches, the salt water, the pristine lakes. If you really want to see Florida property values decline, allow more pollution and overbuilding. We will then lose the only selling point we have.
It is true I am a transplant (lived here almost 30 years and raised my kids here). But that is true of virtually everyone in Florida. If your family moved here from Georgia or Alabama in the 1940's you are a transplant too.
In any event, a book we used to read up north advised that we should not sell our heritage for a bowl of lentil soup. Don't be too quick to sell Florida short.
Not surprised. My wife was laid off over a year and half ago from a Fortune 500 company that was here in Miami. Her freind was laid off last week. And with the buyout of Burger King, layoffs are happening there.
A couple of years ago the Herald ran a story regarding the future of Miami and various scenarios that it envisioned for the area. I believe the one with a steady decline: "Sleepy Siesta" is the outcome.
Private corporations here are declining as employers and it is no wonder that they do not pierce the top 10 in meaningfull numbers. (Caveat: Do not ask the Beacon Council as they will cite multiple studies saying otherwise). They're are simply no jobs here for middle level managers, MBAs etc. Banking has been eveserated, media has been relocated to LA and NYC. Those entities in the above mentioned categories that remain are mere spring boards for visa seeking expats.
Our politicians are just no up to the task of stopping the decline. Miami is caught in a relative decline. Without high paying companies here it is impossible to attract other companies and the talent pool that comes with them. Other posters have alluded to lower taxes, schools and population. Florida is relatively low taxed (no income tax). Ad valorem taxes on tangible and intangible property are usually waived for incoming relocations and as incentives for those here not to relocate (See Burger King). The real issue--and I believe the genesis of these blogs--is quality of life. Miami does not have a population base that is attractive to these multinationals. Ours is a deficient skilled workforce. Whether it be in language skills or in managerial skills. These deficiencies are in large part because of our schools. Anyone who has children can attest that unless you are hyper-involved in your school your child shall fall through the cracks.
In addition our infrastructure and transportation system are not beacons to relocating here. Take the nepotism and incompetence and you have Iberia moving its hub to Atlanta a couple of years ago.
A community that has as its biggest employer government can not maintain itself in the long run. Not even Maynard Keynes would disagree with that. You need a diverse tax base that can provide the impetus for economic growth; government can not do it. When the economy was booming our politicians could turn a blind eye because fo the impact fees that were pouring in. Their "so called trade missions" which the Herald highlighted about two years ago produced no tangible benefits other than some commissioners (Rolle) getting their passports for the first time or Siejas going to European junkets.
During the boom they should have focused on attracting corporations here; but they failed. Instead they squandered the revenue that was generated and now have accelerated this community's decline.
When the last logically based citizen leaves, please turn off the lights.
Some interesting statistics related to the County's workforce, over this time:
1.) Even with the incorporations over the past 10 years, the population in Unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County has gone up.
2.) The total county population has grown, and the County still provides many services to those areas that have incorporated (water, trash, roads,traffic, etc...)
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