The high-tech industry in metropolitan Boston contributes mightily toward New England's prosperity in the good years, but its troubles have hurt the region during this recession.
Layoffs in this industry have driven office vacancy rates to 18 percent in and around Boston. Office construction is dead in downtown Boston, and the area lost over 20,000 manufacturing jobs between June 2001 and June 2002.
While residential construction remains strong, the office market will not recover until 2004, according to Grubb & Ellis Research. Don't expect any immediate improvement in New England's industrial market either. According to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, some makers of high-tech and aerospace products have so much excess capacity that they don't plan to increase capital spending until 2004.
(in millions of dollars)
MSA — Metropolitan Statistical Area
PMSA — Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area
CMSA — Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area
EC — Electrical contractor employees. Actual numbers.
M — Manufacturing employees in thousands.
F/S/RT — Commercial accounts (finance, services, retail trade) employees in thousands.
G — Government employees in thousands.