Whether your job is secure or you are unemployed or under-employed and looking for a new opportunity, everyone seems to be busier than ever before. Time is valuable and money must be well-spent.
There's lots of competition for customers and many people are considering creating their own opportunities through entrepreneurship. Job and career fairs abound, yet fewer companies are present, fewer still are actually hiring, and most of what's available doesn't offer a basic $25/hour (needed for a comfortable living wage in our region, or $52,000/year before taxes, providing about $1200/mo needed to purchase a home). Most available jobs require specialized education and/or experience already under your belt.
Demographics for the Roanoke and New River Valleys show strong growth in populations, and therefore more competition for customers and decent jobs. NRV growth rates are actually stronger than Roanoke's, whether looking at the locality or metropolitan planning areas. But unemployment rates are higher in the NRV, too.
An excellent tool for employers and job seekers can be found in the Virginia Workforce Connection website. As an economic development tool, it provides companies with information about unemployment insurance and tax rates, workforce demographics, and job posting capabilities. As a tool for those seeking employment, it offers resume writing tips, job listings, and training resources.
In Christiansburg, leaders just seem to be standing back and watching the economic development game, hoping their team wins. Without recruiting business -- not just via possible tourism revenues from lodging or meals taxes, or a slim portion of state sales taxes returned to the county because of being the retail hub -- but to increase personal and real property tax valuations overall. All possible revenue streams must be identified, evaluated and maximized. This doesn't just mean more money to spend in the town's budget, it should equate to a higher standard of living for residents and job creation.
The Virginia Workforce Connection provides a database that lets readers slice and dice information a multitude of ways. A report for the metropolitan statistical area can be pulled up in seconds, showing wages and income or the CPI (Consumer Price Index).
Looking at the town's business licenses and the data showing the area's largest employers, one clearly sees that most companies don't have more than 100 employees. Some of the area's largest employers don't necessarily have all those workers in the NRV or town. This points to a need to shore up and retain smaller businesses, whether this is professional (finance, insurance, real estate or health fields) or specialty (services, restaurants, retailers).
According to Christiansburg's 2008-2009 budget, the town contributed nearly $105,000 to regional economic development entities or initiatives, not counting funds previously committed to establishing a regional tourism development program.
But a quick look at revenues also shows that overall occupancy (lodging) taxes pulled in $850,000 for the town, while the meals tax raked in a whopping $4.6 million. General property (real estate) taxes for the entire town brought in about $2.9 million, while business licenses alone pulled in $2 million (before throwing in utility taxes, and without factoring what percent these companies provide in general property tax revenues).
Christiansburg can be severely dinged by continued unemployment if its leaders fail to get off the bench. A business plan for the aquatic center was finally delivered to council members at their last meeting -- now it's time for these fine folks to develop one of their own for town tourism and economic development. Without this type of direction, how will they be able to justify the town's annual budget?