A major asset of the Canton/Stark County area
is its labor force committed to high quality and productivity.
Stark County has been a successful location for business since
the mid-nineteenth century. The area has produced generations
of well-educated and diverse workers, which reflect the broad
base of the area's economic mix.
Another major asset of the Stark County area is The
Employment
Source. The Employment Source provides excellent services
for both employers and job seekers. Its Business Services
Department was created to provide a single point of contact
for employers to find qualified job candidates. The services
provided are at no cost to the employer. Job seekers also
have an array of services available to them at no cost,
including
workshops and a job matching system.
As of April 2007, the Civilian Labor Force consisted of 203,500
people. Of the total Civilian Labor Force in the Canton-Massillon
MSA, approximately 191,200 people, the unemployment rate was
at 6% or 12,300 people.
As an overview, the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities;
Educational and Health Services; Manufacturing and Government
are the four largest employment sectors driving the economy
of the Canton/Massillon MSA. Together they account for 113,600
employees or 66% of local employment.
A further breakdown shows that the Trade, Transportation,
and Utilities sector makes up over 19% or 32,500 employees;
Educational and Health Services made up 18% or 30,100 employees;
Manufacturing companies 17% or 29,800 employees and Government
12% or 21,200 employees.
The Canton/Massillon MSA labor force is undergoing some important
changes. While the workforce is becoming more mature, today
there are more females and minorities are participating that
are helping to diversify the labor force.
Of equal importance is that Canton and surrounding areas
are home to six colleges and universities with a combined
enrollment of over 66,500 students and over 11,600 graduates
each year. These students and their recent graduates provide
an excellent source of highly educated entrants to the Stark
County labor force for companies seeking to locate or expand
their operations in the area.
For more information about the Stark County workforce, read
the Workforce Section
of our 2007 SDB Factbook.
Information provided by Bureau of Labor
Market Information and The U.S. Census Bureau. |
