SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said big, bold ideas are the key to San Antonio's future. And local experts agree that his promise to create 70,000 new jobs over the next two years is bold.
Statistics from the Texas Workforce Commission show that, over the past four years, the San Antonio-New Braunfels area has added an average of 29,175 jobs:
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2014: 32,000 jobs
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2015: 32,900 jobs
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2016: 28,900 jobs
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2017: 22,900 jobs
The mayor's goal would require an average of 35,000. Nirenberg said, to do that, he's bringing in help.
"I'm pleased to announce the formation of the Blue Chips Job Council. I've tapped this group of leaders from San Antonio's business community to be our cavalry of economic development," Nirenberg said at the State of the City address.
Workforce Solutions Alamo President George Hempe supports the mayor's goal, saying, "When you consider the current level of growth for multiple industry clusters within the SA region along with the significant and positive net migration, this number (70,000) is challenging but doable."
Hempe said there are keys to reaching such a goal — "how well the region aligns our resources and strategies in educating and training our people for the jobs today and tomorrow."
Jamie Bloodsworth, with the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, also believes the initiative is possible, saying, "This strategic and collaborative approach to job and economic growth allows us to say with confidence that, together, we can meet the community's expectations."
Hempe said there are currently about 55,000 jobs available in the San Antonio area.