No. 1 and still trending
As expected, Elkhart County’s economic future is bright
Snapshots of government data, often
many months behind due to compilation and
analysis, rarely give true insight into today’s
economic climate. But by all indications,
Elkhart County is continuing to improve upon
its first-in the-nation status for job growth.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics bestowed
the No. 1 ranking on Elkhart, as employment
grew 7.4 percent in the 2012 calendar year –
about 3½ times faster than the average rate.
Bob Thatcher, the chair of the Greater
Elkhart Chamber’s Economic Development
Council, told the group recently the news
comes as no surprise given “the spirit of
our people” to fight through adversity. Kyle
Hannon, the Chamber’s president and CEO,
told many media outlets much the same.
“When the recession started, we knew that
we would be bouncing out of it,” Hannon
told the South Bend Tribune. “So, really, it
was a matter of time we would be leading the
nation out of it. It’s nice to see, but it’s really
not that surprising.”
While it’s nice to reflect on victories, where
is the county headed? Up, according to the
head of IUSB’s Leighton School of Business.
“We are guardedly optimistic about the
outlook for 2013, expecting employment
gains of … 2 percent in the Elkhart-Goshen
(metropolitan statistical area),” wrote Douglas
Agbetsiafa in the Indiana Business Review
(tinyurl.com/elkhart2013). “We expect the
Michiana region’s economic activity to pick
up, wages to rise, and unemployment rates to
fall below current levels.”
Using even older data, with a 12-month
ending date of September 2012, the BLS
concluded the Elkhart-Goshen MSA had
added 6,600 jobs in manufacturing, 1,000 in
professional and business services and 500 in
government … though that catch-all category
includes public schools and hospitals.
Reflecting on the region that also includes
the South Bend-Mishawaka MSA, the area
still is down 24,500 jobs from the 2007
pre-recession analysis. Despite the gains in
manufacturing of late, the
region has yet to replace
11,000 employees in the
manufacturing sector and
5,300 in trade, transportation
and utilities. Those two
categories account for 45
percent of the entire
workforce in
Elkhart and
St. Joseph
counties.
Biz-Ness EXPO Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013
Some adventures are worth taking twice!
Elkhart County has been ranked No. 1 in job growth for two years in a row.
Share your adventures, register at Elkhart.org or
contact Denise Polachek at [email protected] or 574-293-1531 ext. 132
LEADING BUSINESS 11