Workforce and Education

The robust Bay Area economy creates a tremendous number of jobs, particularly during times of economic expansion. But the workforce does not always have the technical, hard and soft skills to fill these positions and many people remain unemployed. We must continue to invest in education and workforce development across the continuum from early childhood education to the region’s world-leading institutions of higher learning. Only then can businesses get the skilled workforce they need and workers and their families have career and financial security. Addressing workplace inequalities between women and men is also essential for economic development. Millions of talented women are not given the opportunities they deserve to advance professionally, ultimately affecting their economic success and that of the companies they work for.

Related

Report

Evaluating the Case for the East Solano Plan

The East Solano Plan seeks to create a new, mixed-use community at the heart of the Northern California Megaregion with homes, businesses, and civic uses organized into medium-density neighborhoods. At full build out, the plan has room for 400,000 people. The plan includes a commitment to bring 15,000 jobs to Solano County in the first phase of development, along with $500 million in community benefits such as downpayment assistance for Solano County residents and a $200 million fund to invest in revitalizing existing downtowns throughout Solano County. At full build out, these numbers increase to $4 billion in community benefits and $800 million for Solano County downtowns.
Report

Policy Brief: Enhancing Multilingual Learning Programs in California

Multilingual Learning Programs hold immense potential to transform California’s education system and prepare student to thrive in an increasingly connected world. By addressing the current challenges and implementing the suggested policy recommendations, California can create a robust framework for MLL programs that will benefit students, teachers, businesses, families, and communities, while fostering a more inclusive, diverse, and prosperous state.
Report

The Future of Advanced Technology and Basic Research

California is globally recognized as the world’s leading center for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurial opportunity. While most concentrated in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley Bay Area, technology assets are spread throughout the state. The economic strength that flows from this unique capacity has produced high-value jobs and world-leading companies and puts California at the leading edge of current and emerging technologies that will transform the world’s economy in coming decades. The income that this activity generates is also a critical source of revenue for the state through personal income taxes (PIT) due to the substantial workforce dedicated to advancing technology in California. In the state’s 2019-2020 fiscal year, PIT accounted for 66.19 percent of California’s General Fund revenues, much of which are driven by taxation on technology initial public offerings (IPOs) and stock gains.
Report

Future Careers in Manufacturing

With 30,000 manufacturing companies, California is the largest manufacturing state in the nation. Together, those companies support 1.3 million employees; 34% of those workers are people of color, and 31% are women. Most of California’s manufacturing companies are small, with 64% having fewer than 25 employees. Manufacturing companies account for 11% of California’s total economic output. Their activity contributes to a balanced economic structure in the state and provides middle-skilled jobs that offer good incomes and upward mobility for a segment of the workforce.
Report

Bay Area Economic Profile 2020

The report includes chapters focused on housing and transportation, venture capital and innovation, income inequality, higher education, regional migration, globalization trends, and labor force participation. The chapters provide data points that offer early insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted different aspects of the region and economy in 2020 to help the region plan for a strong and equitable economic recovery.
Report

Workplace Connections

Employers who care about gender equity in the workplace need to understand the importance of two major areas in which they can provide work-family support: (1) family-friendly policies that increase flexibility and provide paid parental leave, and (2) providing affordable access to quality childcare and early childhood education.
Report

Entrepreneurs, Startups and Innovation at the University of California

This report examines a broad range of initiatives at the University of California’s ten campuses—plus UC Hastings Law School, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—that are designed to support entrepreneurial development and startup formation, and through them stimulate economic activity in surrounding regions and communities.
Project

UC’s Entrepreneurial Impact

UC Supports Immense, and Growing, Startup Culture

Entrepreneurial activity and innovation have been rapidly accelerating across the University of California in recent years, spurring a significant number of jobs, companies and economic activity for the state economy, according to a study released Aug. 17, 2016 by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

Insights

Invest in training to revitalize California manufacturing

Is it true? That we don’t make anything in the U.S. anymore? That all our production has moved to China? That manufacturing has left California and isn’t coming back? That it’s too expensive to manufacture …

Report

Building Gender Equity in the Workplace

The Bay Area Council is mobilizing business, civic, and political leaders to advance women’s leadership, eliminate barriers to women’s employment, and close the gender earnings gap. This report is an information resource guide for companies looking for good places to begin and best practices to use in starting to address gender equity issues in their own workplaces.
Report

Reinventing Manufacturing

Technology is revolutionizing manufacturing processes through innovations in 3D printing, robotics and big data (the Internet of Things) – often based on innovations that come from California. A range of factors, including rising labor costs in China, are leading some manufacturers to bring production home. California is in a good position to capture much of this growth, but needs policies that support and incentivize investment.
Report

Reforming California Public Higher Education for the 21st Century

Revisiting the key components of the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education in California is important to closing the education skills gap and ensuring equity, opportunity and California's future prosperity. Moving in the direction outlined in this analysis will put the state on a firm path toward closing the impending workforce skills gap and will provide residents with the increased economic mobility and opportunity that come with higher education.
Project

UC Berkeley

Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship

This analysis documents the economic contributions of companies founded by UC Berkeley students, alumni and faculty and estimates a minimum economic impact of entrepreneurial activity associated with UC Berkeley. It was prepared by the Economic Institute for UC Berkeley, which funded the project.

Subscribe With Us