Knowing the age and the gender of our employees will help us better understand the characteristics of industries in San Joaquin County. Industries with predominantly young employees, for instance, tend to provide lower wages because their employees tend to have relatively little experience, don’t hold college degree, or they are working part time. At the same time, the turnover rate in these industries is higher as young workers switch jobs more often.
Industries with predominantly older employees have their own issues to face as well. While they face a lower turnover rate, they may find it challenging to recruit younger employees to replace the retiring employees. In addition, older employees usually bring about higher health-related costs, and lower productivity, especially if the jobs are physical.
What about industries with employees that are predominantly female? These industries are apt to provide lower wages as well because, among other reasons, women on average have lower educational attainment than men or their jobs carry lower level of risks than men’s jobs. Women, however, do not necessarily switch jobs more often than men. In fact, the Census data shows that the turnover rate for female employees in San Joaquin County is slightly lower than males.
Looking at 19 non-government industries in San Joaquin County, the Census’s Quarterly Workforce Indicator data shows that the Accommodation and Food Services industry is one with the highest share of young employees below 25 years of age (48%). As you may have guessed, jobs in these industries include hotels, eateries, coffee houses, bars, etc. The average wage in this industry in 2004 is less than $15K per year, which is the lowest in the county. At the same time, the turnover rate is about 18%; among the highest in the county. The other industries with predominantly young employees are Retail Trade, followed by Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation industries, which, and as suggested, are also among those with the lowest wages and highest turnover rates.
What happens when an industry has a low turnover rate?
It more likely has higher share of older employees. Making the top list of industries with the highest share of older employees (those at least 45 years of age) is the Utilities industry with a 55% share, followed by Educational Services with a 47% share and Transportation and Warehousing with a 43% share. Turnover rates in these three industries are among the lowest in the county.
Which industries are predominantly female?
Could they be those that require more personal care or finesse? At the top of the list is the Health Care and Social Assistance industry with nearly a 80% share of female employees, followed by Finance and Insurance with a 72% share and Educational Services with a 61% share. There is no evidence that wages in these industries are lower than the other industries. On the other hand, the data also finds that industries requiring more physical performance employ predominantly male employees. On top of the list is the Mining industry with more than a 82% share of male employees, followed by Transportation and Warehousing (79%), Construction (79%), Utilities (75%), Manufacturing (72%), and Wholesale Trade (70%). Wages in these industries are among the highest in the county.
