Queens Neighborhoods / December 12, 2009. Given the state of the economy, we decided to do a brief review of how Queens has fared over the past year and what to look forward to in the new year. To begin this effort we decided to take a look at the employment base of Queens. The Queens job market is fairly well rounded as it derives its income from a variety of different industries. This provides an overview of the employment base in Queens.
Queens Unemployment - Beats NYC & National Average
Employment Picture Improving
I don't know if Queens has begun to add back jobs or if the unemployed have given up searching, or if it's a mix of both. But late this summer I had been hearing anecdotally, of employers seeking qualified employees and actually adding people to their payrolls. The last time I had heard this kind of news was well over a year ago. What puzzles me is why the established media hasn't made a big deal of the Queens unemployment rate declining - as this would seem to be big news. They certainly made a big deal of it when unemployment began rising. Given that we live in a service economy, it seems the cuts come faster in a downturn, stabilize more quickly - as one can only cut so far in service industries - and then add back employees slowly as the economy picks up again. Bear in mind that there's still a pretty sizeable household debt load, which will likely moderate people's spending habits.
Queens Jobs - Transportation / Light Industry / Importers
Over the past decade construction has grown in Queens as there has been a lot of building in LIC, Astoria & Flushing; and gentrification / improvement work going on in Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights and Jamaica. Light industry is dispersed throughout the borough, from the manufacture of foods, like pastas in Astoria, to all sorts of specialty printing companies in LIC, to customization of promotional items in Woodside. Queens is also home to a number of food importers, many of whom distribute nationally. One such example is a Greek Olive Oil company. It's also worth noting that there's a nascent film and television industry beginning to take root in LIC with Silver Cup Studios as well as a refurbished Kaufman Astoria Studios. And Con Edison, the areas energy distributor and supplier, is also a large employer in the community.
Queens also has a vigorous real estate market, which like the rest of the nation has been impacted by the downturn, but for which the long term future looks bright [see related stories - Queens real estate]. Long Island City development and construction continues to be the recipient of investment inflows, as it appears to be evolving into a derivative of New York's upper east side. Likewise Flushing has also seen inflows due to its central location and ties to Asia, which at present appears to have become the world's bankers.
Along Northern Blvd there are probably in the neighborhood of about twenty automotive dealerships carrying cars from nearly every manufacturer. This concentration of choices within a narrow stretch of travel time makes Queens an unrivaled location in which to purchase a vehicle in the NYC / Long Island Metro area. In association with growth of these dealerships, a number of various automotive related services such as auto parts and repairs have grown up alongside them.
Queens Retail Jobs
Queens is the home to a thriving retail market, which like real estate,
Queens Restaurants - Jobs
There are well over one thousand restaurants in Queens. The restaurants provide a range of options such as high end world class dining, as well as family run ethnic restaurants, and national chain fast foods. As such there are over ten thousand jobs associated with staffing and supplying restaurants in Queens. As this is a highly competitive market, new restaurants come into being monthly, and some go out of business quarterly. That said, Queens dining experience - from a culinary point of view - is second to none. There may not be as much theater in Queens as provided by the restaurants in Manhattan, but you don't have to pay for it either.
Queens Hospitals and Medical Establishment - Jobs
Queens has an evolving medical infrastructure. There are fourteen major hospitals operating in Queens, providing over ten thousand jobs, if one includes the suppliers and contractors who help keep these institutions operating. In addition to that there are numerous clinics, doctors offices, specialists and dentists, again providing thousands of jobs throughout the community.
Queens Education & Government - Jobs
Queens Arts - Musicians, Artists, Dancers and Theatre
Queens is also home to a growing community of thousands of professional artists, musicians, dancers, actors and actresses. Over the past decade, the locus of the arts has shifted northward from Brooklyn into LIC, Astoria and
Queens has benefitted from this change in circumstances. Many of these artists have created new venues that have added to Queens cultural enjoyment and many of the established organizations have greeted the new artists with open arms. This has added to the charm and attraction of the Queens community as a whole and hence has had the 'trickle up effect' of attracting many professionals into the area in search of living in a 'cool' location. One only needs to think back to the time when the East Village, Soho, Tribeca, Williamsburg and Park Slope neighborhoods became 'cool' to realize what the long term impact will be.
Queens Professional Jobs
Queens Jobs Market 2010 - Steady & Growth
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