Los Angeles Region

Decarbonization requires a larger workforce, higher technology integration skills
Approximately 85,000 annual job openings indicate solid economic growth. Environmental and Equity progress requires advances in workforce development to decarbonize communities and create economic mobility for their residents.
Our Process:
Three-Part Data Analysis
TESC cultivates regional collaboratives that prioritize workforce initiatives to drive the triple bottom line of Economy, Environment, and Equity
Economy
Employment growth in the construction and technical services sectors is constrained by underemployment and demographic factors
Los Angeles County real GDP growth is expected to only grow 1.8 percent in 2020, a marked slowdown from the brisk 3.7 percent growth rate in 2018. Marginally attached and part-time workers is just over 10 percent for the last several years, remaining stubbornly high despite broadly improving economic conditions.
Within this decline, construction employment is expected to increase considerably as transit expansion and development efforts are hurried to completion prior to the 2028 Olympics, although there will likely be greater demand for workers than can be met, especially in the short-term. Major employment growth is expected to be seen in the professional and business services sector, as the high demand for technical skills accelerates.
Environmental leadership and new housing construction are adding significant labor market demand, creating significant workforce development opportunities.
Environment
Innovative workforce solutions for environmental opportunities challenges are essential to achieve decarbonization at scale for impacted communities.
Los Angeles is home to the most polluted air in the country and the city consistently fails to meet federal standards for air quality. Currently, many of the city’s most vulnerable residents—as determined by health, economic, and demographic measures—are cut off from the city’s resilience infrastructure. CityLab
Major environmental elements supporting LA’s Green New deal include:
Solar: Comprehensive solar incentive programs for residents and businesses helped make Los Angeles the #1 Solar City in America according to Shining Cities 2018.
Energy Efficiency: Named the #1 ENERGY STAR City by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for having the most energy-efficient buildings in the U.S.
Transportation: Pledged to procure only zero-emission buses by 2025 to ensure that a major area of Los Angeles will be emissions-free by 2030, and installed 2,100 publicly available electric vehicle charging stations — the most of any U.S. city — with a plan for another 10,000 by 2022. Expanded public transit development in preparation for the 2028 Olympics.
Equity
A skilled workforce is central to economic competitiveness in today’s knowledge-driven economy. The region will face a skills gap unless education levels increase. By 2020, 44 percent of the state’s jobs will require an associates’ degree higher. Only 10 percent of Latino immigrants, 28 percent of U.S.-born Latinos, and 34 percent of Blacks and Native Americans have reached that level of education. As a result, nearly one in every five Los Angeles residents (18.4 percent) lives below the poverty line, which is about $24,600 a year for a family of four.
The Weingart Foundation has identified three areas of special interest: the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z), the Southeast Los Angeles County cities, and the community of Watts and Willowbrook. Identifying the challenges that these communities face can help the region’s leaders develop targeted solutions.
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