Power tools take up most of the shelf space at the Fresno Hock Shoppe. Rob Van Gronigen says construction workers used to buy back their tools. But economists say the industry lost over 250,000 jobs during the downturn. "Well you know the construction business has gotta be hurting when we're taking this many tools in," Van Gronigen said.
The UCLA Anderson forecast says we'll start to see economic growth in LA and on the coast in 2011 but not in the valley.
"They're going to have to make up for the losses in construction so that translates into slower economic growth inland than on the coast," Jerry Nickelsburg said.
Blake Konczal of the workforce investment board doesn't see the valley jobless rate mirroring California's recovery.
"If the state were to bounce back by 2012 I'd have to say it'd be after that," Konczal said.
Konczal says agriculture is not the buffer industry it used to be.
"The UCLA Anderson Forecast says the state economy needs to generate 1.3 million jobs just to get back to where California was before the recession," Konczal said.
Even more jobs are needed for those new to the job market.
