Here’s a graph I haven’t updated for a while. It shows how many jobs were gained or lost, according to the latest monthly employment estimates, by varying San Diego employment sectors in the year leading up to September 2008. (Sectors that changed by fewer than 300 jobs have been excluded to keep the graph a little more readable).
Here’s how this chart looked a little over a year ago. Back then, the leisure and hospitality sector was providing a huge boost. That sector is still growing, but not nearly so fast. Meanwhile the housing bubble beneficiary sectors (construction, finance, and retail) have deteriorated significantly. One bright spot: the manufacturing sector, while still shrinking slightly, is doing so at a notably slower pace than it was last year.
— RICH TOSCANO