The 1.1 million-strong labor force already in place in the Hudson Valley is one of the region's most valuable assets:

• Nearly 200,000 workers are underemployed, working at jobs that require less skill than they are able to offer.
• An additional 33,400 people are neither employed nor looking for work but might accept a job given the right opportunity.
• Many workers commute across county and state borders, and would like to accept a job closer to home. Train ridership into New York City (1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hours away) has increased 65% in 20 years.

The valley's workforce is well educated, especially in the fields of science and technology:

• 85% of valley residents have graduated from high school, with 35% over age 25 possessing a Bachelor's degree (the national average is 26%).
• New York State ranks first in degrees awarded in materials sciences, computer sciences, and medical sciences; second for degrees in electrical engineering, mathematics, and biological sciences; and third in civil and mechanical engineering.

The Hudson Valley is an attractive place to hire workers:

• Salaries are competitive with most major industrial centers.
• High-range management positions average less than $80,000, and production workers earn under $30,000 per year.
• The diversity of housing - single-family homes, condos, and rental units in all price ranges - allows workers to live close to where they work.

New York workers are among the most productive in the nation:

• New York ranks 9th nationally in worker productivity in the manufacturing sector.
• These workers generate more than $6 in value for every dollar earned.

• Our workforce standards are higher.
• Training and educational resources are far greater here than those available elsewhere.

Training Assistance

• Coordinated, customized approach to meet workforce needs.
• Funding available for up to 50% of qualified training projects.
• Classroom and on-the-job training.
• Human resource assistance, such as pre-screening employees.

SMT Degree Program
Community colleges in Orange, Ulster, Sullivan and Dutchess counties recently formed a consortium to offer a two-year semiconductor manufacturing technology (SMT) degree.

Download Workforce Report.