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B.R. tops job productivity list
Baton Rouge ranked first for job productivity growth among the top 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., according to a recent Brookings Institution report. The report says from 2001-05 the Capital Region’s annualized percent change in gross domestic product per job growth was 5.08%. This was more than twice the national average of 2.26%. San Jose, Calif., and Sarasota, Fla., followed Baton Rouge in the category. Adam Knapp, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, says the report is another indication of efforts to maintain a robust and dynamic economy. The MetroPolicy report was created as part of Brookings’ The Blueprint for American Prosperity, an initiative designed to promote a national economic policy agenda based on research and analysis. Prosperity in a metro area was measured by growth in productivity, such as generating quality jobs and raising incomes, and sustainability, such as expansion of economic and educational opportunities and sensitivity to environmental and energy issues. The Capital Region also scored well for GDP per capita growth. It ranked among the top three metro areas nationwide, which also included Oxnard, Calif., and Palm Bay, Fla.