7/27/2006
Media Contact:
Justin Ohlemiller, Mayor’s Office, 327-3690
John Walker, The Indy Partnership, 317-464-5413 |
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Brookings: Indy outpaces Midwestern cities in job growth
INDIANAPOLIS – Over the last decade, Indianapolis has had the highest rate of job growth of 25 major metropolitan areas in the Midwest, according to a report released today by The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Between 1995 and 2005, total employment in the Indianapolis region increased by 129,200 jobs, or approximately 17 percent, outpacing the national job growth rate, according to Brookings.
The report, titled Bearing the Brunt: Manufacturing Job loss in the Great Lakes Region, analyzed manufacturing employment and advanced services job growth in seven Great Lakes states and their metropolitan areas. Indianapolis was one of only six cities to experience enough job growth in advanced services positions to offset employment losses in manufacturing, and it ranked number one in the net gain of advanced services jobs, such as engineering, adding 34,500 positions.
The second highest metropolitan area for net growth of high-tech, advanced positions was Cincinnati, with 30,600 jobs added. Peoria, IL; Grand Rapids, MI; Davenport, IA and Evansville, IN were the only other cities to see a net gain in advanced services jobs.
“Study after study is finding the same thing: Indianapolis is outperforming its peers in terms of overall job growth and increases in high-tech, high wage positions,” Mayor Bart Peterson said, citing another recent report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which issued similar findings. “A decade of careful planning and focused initiatives to spur development of high-wage, high-growth jobs is paying big dividends now and positioning our city for even greater future growth.”
“Brookings’ report is further proof of the dynamic economy we have developed in the Indianapolis region,” said Gordon Hendry, interim president and CEO of The Indy Partnership, the region’s economic development organization. “Every day, we are selling the benefits of this region to companies across the country, and this report reinforces our message that Indianapolis is a great place to do business.”
The Brookings Institution findings are the latest in a long line of regional and national accolades collected by Indianapolis recently:
- The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago released a report in June stating that the Indianapolis metropolitan area outperformed other cities and was the only large city tracked by the study to experience job growth between 2000 – 2005.
- Last month the Indianapolis Private Industry released findings that Indianapolis is growing jobs in high-growth industries at a faster rate than state and national averages.
- In May, Forbes Magazine named Indianapolis as one of the 10 best places in America to start a business or a career, and the new Kiplinger’s survey ranked Indianapolis as one of the top 14 “Smart Places to Live” in the country.
About The Indy Partnership
The Indy Partnership is a privately-funded, not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening economic and job growth in the 11-county Indianapolis region – Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Shelby and Tippecanoe counties. Located in Indianapolis, The Indy Partnership has a full-time professional staff ready to assist clients interested in business expansion or relocation in the Indianapolis region. More information is available at www.indypartnership.com.
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