Workforce and Education

Your business needs people. Hampton Roads has the best people anywhere.

Whether you’re looking for skilled laborers or the proverbial rocket scientist, we have what you need in Hampton Roads. The annual infusion of 13,000 military personnel into our civilian labor pool makes Hampton Roads a unique place to find motivated talent. Add in our exceptional colleges, universities, and medical schools, and your human resources manager will finally be able to sleep soundly at night.

Labor Statistics (June 2011)

Civilian Labor Force	838,381
Employment	779,617
Unemployment	58,764
Unemployment Rate (%)	7.0

Military

As a result of the large military presence in the region, Virginia's Hampton Roads has a skilled pool of potential workers that few other metropolitan areas have to offer. Each year approximately 13,000 trained and disciplined personnel transition from active duty to the civilian workforce. Many of these persons prefer to stay in the area and are available for private sector employment. In addition, there are over 30,000 military spouses in the area available for employment.

Students

Over 96,000 students attend Hampton Roads’ eight universities and four community colleges. Most of these students are permanent residents, available for part- or full- time employment. And the 14,000 graduates from the region's colleges and universities provides work ready talent pool from which to recruit.

About the Education Level of the Hampton Roads Population 25 years and older ...

89.0 % of population has at least a high school diploma
26.0% of population has at least some college
36.1% of population has an Associates Degree or higher

Seasonal Workers

The region's tourism industry creates over 10,000 seasonal jobs during summer months. This group provides an additional source of workers to companies with personnel needs that peak at other times of the year.

If you still need help finding great people, let the Virginia Department of Business Assistance help. You can contact them at www.dba.state.va.us/.

Hampton Roads Employment by Industry Sector (November, 2010)

Natural Resource, Mining and Construction	38,000	5.1%
Manufacturing	51,300	6.9%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	132,300	17.8%
Information	12,400	1.7%
Financial Activities	36,000	4.9%
Professional and Business Services	102,700	13.8%
Educational and Health Services	94,700	12.8%
Leisure and Hospitality	83,700	11.3%
Other Services	34,500	4.7%
Government	156,600	21.1%
Total Nonfarm Employment	742,200	100%

Source: Virginia Employment Commission