Greenville tops US in job outlook
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:09 am
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Go Gov. Haley (R)The survey reveals that the metropolitan areas with the most optimistic forecast of all for hiring this spring are Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, S.C., and Knoxville, Tenn. Both regions enjoy a 24% net employment outlook, the percentage of employers that expect to add employees (26% and 25%, respectively) minus the percentage that expect to reduce their workforce (a mere 2% and 1%, respectively). Another 67% in Greenville-Mauldin-Easley said they anticipate no change, and 5% didn’t know. In Knoxville, 73% expect to maintain staff levels, while 1% of employers are uncertain about their hiring plans.
“Our area is strongly rooted in manufacturing, and we see an uptick in jobs coming from this sector,” says Ben Haskew, president and chief executive of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. “Within the past two weeks, many of our manufacturers participated in a job fair to attract new hires. We are especially strong in automotive and aviation.”
Greenville, the principal city of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metro area, once relied heavily on textile manufacturing. In fact, it was long known as the “Textile Capital of the World.” Today the city is better known for engineering and is home to more international manufacturing investment per capita than any other community in the U.S.
Some of the largest employers in Greenville-Mauldin-Easley include BMW, Michelin, GE, Fluor and Lockheed Martin—all of which have facilities or headquarters in the area.