Lack of affordable housing for workers is one of the most significant challenges facing the region's employers, and that concern was a key discussion topic Thursday at the MCBC's Monterey Bay Regional Critical Conversation.
The third annual event took place at Casa Munras Hotel, focusing issues of concern to businesses in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. One of 16 Regional Critical Conversation Forums in California, the forum is part of the California Forward and the California Stewardship Network that will bring outcomes from each Regional forum to the California Economic Summit on Nov. 12-13, 2015 in Ontario.
Similar themes emerged among executives at Scotts Valley-based Fox Shox, Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa and Spreckels-based Tanimura & Antle, who together represent about 4,300 workers.
“It is a challenge for the entry-level worker, who often has two jobs, to afford the housing in this area,” said Paula Calvetti, human resource director for Hyatt.
Affordability levels in all three counties have hit record lows, driving up the cost of rentals and hampering recruitment efforts. Tanimura & Antle’s human resources director, Larry Silva, said a need for housing is what led it to propose a $10 million, 800-person farmworker housing project in Spreckels.
Michael Cowen, human resource director for Fox Shox, said affordability levels in Santa Cruz County are affecting Fox’s ability to recruit high-level engineers. One solution, he said, would be a light rail so that workers could commute from more affordable areas.
Housing costs are part of the reason why Hyatt and Tanimura & Antle are having a hard time filling entry-level jobs.
In April, just 22 percent of homes in Santa Cruz County and 29 percent in Monterey County were considered affordable. In Monterey, a minimum qualifying income of $92,170 is needed to afford a home.
Rising home prices have also led to an increase in rents. In March, Salinas made the top 10 in rent growth for California cities, according to the Apartment List Rentonomics blog.
The convention was also a chance for the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership to promote its website, which has data and help for businesses in all three counties, and Monterey County Business Council to show off its ACT WorkKeys program. The WorkKeys Assessment is a national test used to rank potential employees and already used by Monterey-Salinas Transit, Hyatt, Encore Recycling and others.
Read the full article here.
Source: Monterey County Herald
Recognizing that sponsors help make it happen
A special thanks to all the sponsors that helped support the Monterey County Business Council's third annual Monterey Bay Regional Critical Conversation.
Among those sponsors and partners are Bianchi, Kasavan & Pope, LLC; California Forward; Monterey County Association of Realtors; the County of Monterey; PG&E; Monterey Bay International Trade Association; Monterey Bay Economic Partnership; CSUMB; Cal Coastal; Hartnell College; and the city of Sand City.
Report: Job prospects bright for those with language translation and interpretation skills
A new report lists language translation and interpretation among the six fastest-growing jobs in the nation.
The median annual wage for interpreters and translators was $45,430 in May 2012, climbing to $49,320 in 2014. Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to grow 46 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. Employment growth will be driven by increasing globalization and by large increases in the number of non-English-speaking people in the United States. Job prospects should be best for those who have professional certification.
That's good news for Monterey and surrounding communities, home to the greatest collection of foreign language assets in the world.
As "Language Capital of the World," Monterey is directly involved with 25 percent of the nation's post-secondary learning in languages other than English, and Monterey organizations play a major role in delivering translation (written word) and interpretation (spoken) services around the globe.
The city earned that title when Gov. Pete Wilson issued a November 1995 proclamation designating it as such, and the Monterey County Business Council more recently secured trademark registration for the slogan from the Library of Congress for the whole Monterey County region in order to enhance international recognition of the region as “Language Capital of the World.”
Among the reasons Monterey County is worthy of that title:
- The Defense Language Institute (BCM) Foreign Language Center, with a faculty of over 1,700, offers courses in two dozen languages and dialects.
- Three well-known companies that offer interpretation and other related services: LanguageLine Solutions (BCM), Medialocate USA and Richard Schneider Enterprises.
- The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (BCM), which focuses on international business, policy, translation and interpretation, and language teaching.
- Higher education institutions such as CSUMB (BCM) and Monterey Peninsula College (BCM), which offer a variety of foreign language programs.
- The Naval Postgraduate School (BCM) has played host to students from more than 100 nations and provides professional, service-oriented educational programs for the U.S. armed forces and international militaries.
- CTB/McGraw Hill (BCM) is the country's industry leader in language assessment scales.
- China Education Resources Inc. is a provider of products and services to China's kindergarten to grade 12 market. CER's traditional business has been in textbooks, selling over 15 million books in 2004.
- Monterey County Office of Education (BCM) provides leadership to 25 public school districts throughout the county. More than half of the student population in Monterey County speaks a language other than English at home, with more than 50 languages represented.
- The International Language and Culture Foundation (ILCF) recognizes and promotes excellence in language education and the study of cultures
Source: U.S. Department of Labor blog, MontereyLanguageCapital.org
Take a moment for the Monterey Regional Airport's Business Travel Survey
To better understand the transportation needs of the region, Monterey Regional Airport (BCM) is requesting participation in a quick survey to find out how to better serve the traveling public. The results of the survey will be used in airline meetings to encourage them to improve service to our community.
Thank you for assisting us in helping the staff at Monterey Regional Airport understand your travel needs. For each question, please choose the response that best reflects your opinion. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
If you have any questions about the survey, contact Jennifer Hickerson at Monterey Regional Airport at 648-7000.
Access the survey here.
Survey measures Internet connectivity and the 'Digital Divide' in California households
Progress is being made in closing the Digital Divide, with 79 percent of all California households now having high-speed connections at home to the Internet, according to the results of the California Emerging Technology Fund's (CETF) 2015 Annual Survey on broadband adoption in California.
But the survey shows there is still much work to be done.
Of those households with high-speed connections, 8 percent are by smart phone only, and unacceptable percentages of disadvantaged populations remain offline — 35 percent of low-income households (below $20,000 annual income); 30 percent of Latino families (37 percent Spanish-speaking); and 41 percent of people with disabilities.
The survey data is particularly timely as the Federal Communications Commission this week addresses the issue of a Broadband Lifeline Program, and as state policymakers continue to explore how best to tackle poverty, and local governments continue to struggle to balance budgets and generate jobs. The data underscores the need to incorporate Digital Inclusion into all major initiatives to promote economic prosperity and quality of life in California.
See the results of the 2015 Annual Survey, on the CETF website.
Tesla dealership planned for Seaside