Labor Force

Since January 1999, more than 10,000 new jobs have been created in Oakland. Downtown Oakland has a daytime workforce of more than 76,000.

According to forecasts by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), Oakland will add almost 50,000 new jobs in the next 25 years.¹ The high tech industry has discovered the opportunities offered by Oakland and more than 300 such companies are now based in the city. In fact, there are more technology jobs in the Oakland Metro Area than in San Francisco.

Oakland's labor pool ranks 8th in the United States in overall educational achievement. More than one-third of Oakland residents have a college degree – twice the national average. The Oakland Metro Area is a fertile intellectual environment with approximately 100,000 students attending local universities and colleges such as the University of California-Berkeley, California State University-East Bay, Patten University, Mills College, Holy Names University, Lincoln University, California College of the Arts, San Francisco State University, and the University of Phoenix.

Oakland's labor force of 199,500² is educated, skilled and readily available for employers who need managerial/executive, professional, sales, technical, and clerical staff. Oakland's labor force also includes significant numbers of skilled and semi-skilled technicians and tradespeople.

Unemployment Rates

The City of Oakland's annual average unemployment rate for 2003 was 10.6%.

The City of Oakland's annual average unemployment rate for 2004 was 9.1%.

The City of Oakland's annual average unemployment rate for 2005 was 7.9%.

The City of Oakland's annual average unemployment rate for 2006 was 6.9%.

The City of Oakland's annual average unemployment rate for 2007 was 7.4%.

The City of Oakland's annual average unemployment rate for 2008 was 9.5%.

The City of Oakland's unemployment rate for December 2009 was 16.3%.

Source: Labor Market Information Division, Employment Development Department, State of California.

¹Association of Bay Area Governments, Projections 2002, City and County Forecasts.
²State of California, Employment Development Department, Labor Market Information Division, December 2005.