Economist report: Primary employment jobs down in region

LOVELAND — Regional economist Martin Shields on Thursday reported that primary-employment job numbers are down by 504 jobs since 2001, reflecting a general downturn in the region’s employment base over the last several years.

Shields presented the report to a group of local primary employers and government leaders at a meeting at The Ranch in Loveland and hosted by the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp.

Shields is a regional economist for the Colorado State University Office of Economic Development and NCEDC.

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Maury Dobbie, NCEDC president and CEO, said the meeting was designed to share research conducted by Shields and to hear from primary employers about their needs and concerns when it comes to making decisions about expanding their operations or relocating those jobs to other locations.

A primary employer is defined as a company that exports at least 50 percent of its goods and services outside Northern Colorado. Those employers are considered key to bringing new dollars and spinoff jobs into the local economy.

Among those attending the meeting were local mayors, city and county government leaders, and representatives of local primary employers, including Colorado State University, Woodward Governor Co., Anheuser Busch Cos. Inc., Odell Brewing Co. and AVA Solar Inc., Dobbie said.

“We wanted to hear from primary employers (on) how we can all work together, how we can keep them in our region or even expand,” she said.

Shields’ report revealed that total employment in Larimer County increased by 5,449 jobs from 2001 to 2006. But a net decline in primary-employment jobs — mostly in the manufacturing sector — has put an economic drag on the region.

Primary-employment jobs are generally viewed as being higher-paying, with average earnings of $53,652 compared to $37,938 for the average county wage earner, according to Shields’ report.

Larimer County’s top 10 employers in 2006 were, in order: CSU, Poudre Valley Health System, Hewlett Packard Co., Wal-Mart Distribution, Woodward Governor, Banner Health System, Hach Co., Center Partners, Anheuser Busch and Advanced Energy Industries Inc.

“If any one of those primary employers falters, there will be serious repercussions, and we need to pay attention to them,” Dobbie said.

Dobbie said the main emphasis of the meeting was to provide information to local leaders and primary employers and to find out what they need to thrive and remain in the area.

“We wanted to gain a better understanding of how we can all work together in these more challenging times,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard to understand what they’re facing as a primary employer.”

Since 2004, NCEDC has assisted with primary-employment projects providing about 1,800 direct jobs with an average salary of $70,893 per year and an additional 3,417 spin-off jobs created, according to Shields’ report.