City of Morgan Hill Economic Blueprint.docx

INNOVATION AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING Grow existing companies, attract new industry, and grow professional jobs

A diverse industry base helps support a range of job opportunities for Morgan Hill residents. Despite a favorable jobs-housing balance, according to the U.S. Census, 70% of Morgan Hill working residents leave Morgan Hill to work. This phenomenon seems to indicate that there is not the “right” balance between the types of jobs, and the skills of residents. Moreover, nearly 75% of those commuting residents drive alone despite HOV lanes existing most of the distance between San Jose and Morgan Hill. A majority of commuters drive longer than 30 minutes to and from work. This pattern negatively impacts quality of life, stresses the City's and region’s transportation infrastructure, and is environmentally unsustainable.

As noted earlier in this document, there are several industry sectors where the makeup of Morgan Hill business does not mirror the rest of Silicon Valley. Information, professional, scientific, education and healthcare service careers are under-represented in Morgan Hill. Expanding job opportunities in these sectors, as well as continuing to attract advanced manufacturers, can help improve the match between resident skill sets and the jobs offered in Morgan Hill.

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