Commuting Patterns and Job Dependency in Middle Georgia: Insights from 2008

1. Commuting in Middle Georgia 2008

2. Commuting & Jobs • The inflow of commuters indicates the reliance of a county’s businesses on the quality & quantity of the labor force in other counties. • The outflow of commuters indicates the reliance of a county’s residents on the quality & quantity of jobs in other counties • Counties with a lot of good jobs will attract workers living in other counties • The better the jobs, the more a long commute makes sense • Better jobs may attract new residents escaping long commutes • Commuting enhances the regional diversity of jobs available & labor supply

3. On the Map Data • OnTheMap is an internet application that shows where workers are employed and where they live • The employment data come from Unemployment Insurance Wage Records reported by employers. • The states assign employer locations, while workers' residence locations are assigned by the Census Bureau using data from multiple federal agencies. • Counts workers (called “primary jobs”), not jobs • Geographies are adjustable

4. The data does not cover • Self employed (about 7% Nationally)   • Federal government employees (about 2% Nationally) • The military (about 0.5% Nationally) • Some nonprofit employees  • Workers covered by RR unemployment insurance • Wage and salary agricultural employees • Domestic workers • Unpaid family workers

5. Implications • The Self employed are more likely to live & work in the same county, so • People who live & work in the same county are likely to be undercounted • Federal government civilian & military employment is a major factor in Houston County’s employment at 20,938, so • Employment counts for counties whose residents work at RAFB are incomplete

9. Where Workers Live who are Employed in Middle Ga: 2008

10. Where Workers are Employed who Live in Middle Ga: 2008

12. Monroe County OnTheMap Employment Locations of Residents

27. Have you ever wondered? • How much a county depends on its neighbors for earnings? • Or loses due to outside commuters? • Who wins, loses or breaks even? • Commuter earnings data from the BEA makes every attempt to be comprehensive in counting commuters & their earnings

28. What are Earnings? • Earnings are wages & salaries, supplements to wages & salaries, & proprietors’ income • Supplements include employer contributions for employee pension and insurance funds employer payments to private & government employee retirement plans, private group health, life, workers' comp & unemployment benefit plans.

30. Share of Middle Ga Earnings in Thousands of 2008 $s

31. Neighbor Dependence?

33. Earnings Drain?

35. Commuter Profit or Loss?

39. Some Conclusions • Every county has its own unique commuter profile • Profile variables include job availability, job type, proximity to outside opportunities, industry developments, etc. • Bibb, Houston & Baldwin have been job & income sources for other counties • Our other counties have been labor supply sources • In $ terms, Jones & Monroe especially • In terms of % of resident earnings, Twiggs & Crawford also • Jones leads in the share of its earnings it gets from other counties • For Twiggs outflow of earnings declined radically as place of work earnings dropped 48%; residents responded by finding jobs in other counties & their income went up over 7%. • Wilkinson has broken even on earnings flow, but leads in the share of county-generated earnings leaving the county followed by Peach & Crawford, 2 counties with the highest & lowest share of wage & salary employment