This might be of interest since it discusses health care:
STUDY PREDICTS JOB GROWTH FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN 2004
Southern California's economy will pick up steam in 2004,
creating jobs at a faster rate than the rest of the state and
the nation, reports a new study released on February 9, 2004
by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
(LAEDC). The report, titled "2004-2005 Economic Forecast and
Industry Outlook for California & the Los Angeles Five-County
Area Including the National & International Setting," also
makes a prediction that the U.S. economy will expand as well,
growing by 4 percent in 2004 and 3.6 percent in 2005, with
consumer spending contributing healthily to such an economic
upturn.
The report names the aerospace, technology, and tourism
industries among those with improving economic prospects in
2004, while it identifies health services and motion
picture/TV production among those that will continue to
experience significant challenges. The report notes that the
value of exports moving through the Los Angeles area will most
likely increase to $259 billion, up 10 percent, in 2004. On
the other hand, health services is being held at a poor
forecast rating for 2004 due to a variety of forces including:
a double digit rise in health care cost rates, an ongoing
struggle on behalf of hospitals to comply with nursing
staffing laws, and closure of smaller hospitals.
The forecast also predicts that in terms of percentage job
growth for nonfarm jobs in 2004, the Riverside-San Bernardino
area will experience a 2.4 percent (or 25,600 jobs) increase.
Orange County is predicted to gain 1.6 percent (or 22,200),
while San Diego County will see a 1.2% increase (or 14,600).
Los Angeles County's nonfarm employment will move up by 0.8
percent (31,300), while Ventura County will see a 0.3 percent
slippage (or 700). In addition, other measures of regional
economic growth, such as personal income, and taxable sales,
are also projected to advance at a healthy rate.
The report's predictions, which estimate that Southern
California's economy will grow at 1.14 percent in 2004, place
the five-county region's economic upward movement ahead of
state and national economic indicators. The LAEDC report
concludes that there are emerging industries in which the
state and the region under consideration could be major
players, and recommends that elected and business leaders
should develop an encompassing vision that would energize
overall population and various segments of the business
community in light of upcoming changes.
To obtain a copy of this report, please visit the LAEDC
website at:
http://www.laedc.org .
