Job Creation

In job creation activities I can see two big fields:

1.         Micro and Small business

Micro and Small business are local economy boosters and asset builders. The principal need for these businesses at a local level is client base building and retention, and infrastructure is needed to a lower extent. Micro and small businesses are slow pace tax contributors and macro economy builders; however they are strong asset builders for low income to middle class families.

Boosting Micro and Small business creation is important for the local economy. This creation helps low income to middle class families with asset building, as an income generator, and with tax base creation at a slower pace.

Small and Micro Businesses are mostly in the service, construction and farming sector. One of the biggest challenges they face is the new blue collar employees they need to hire. Since these job sectors are mostly performed by immigrants currently unable to be hired because of the lack of documentation, an employer who wants to bring employees legally would need to wait up to 7 years.

For startups, the support is needed in Technical Assistance, Business and Financial Literacy Education, and access to capital.

2.         Big factories and corporations

The big factories’ principal need at a local level is infrastructure and handwork to establish their facilities in the state.

Retail corporations need both infrastructure and a big client base to establish their facilities in the state.

They are income boosters and big payroll tax payers at a local and federal level, and big property tax payers at a local level. However, in most of the cases, they are not very efficient in helping low income and middle class families build their own assets. High tech factories, due to the lack of high tech young engineers in the state, are bringing a good percentage of high tech employees to take care of their current job needs. Due to the current immigration laws, new employees are only temporary employees that can’t become permanent residents, which helps to share their expertise and experience gained in the field.

Boosting the establishment and retention of the big factories and retail corporations would help build the state macro economy. However this could become a risk for local small and micro business. Though they are big tax payers in the short term, at the long term level they could be a risk for the asset building of low income families and the middle class.

I believe that for supporting the wealth creation of low income families and the middle class, both Big Business and Small Business are very important as job creators.  The government should provide a balance in the support provided to both kinds of businesses, and should provide this support in the unique way each kind of job creator needs.

A third job creator sector is healthcare and education. I believe this sector should be considered as a high long term ROI INVESTMENT not expense. To make money, our state needs to spend money. To create jobs, Oregon needs to hire all those immigrant blue collar workers that the market demands now.