Professional, Scientific, and Technical
Definition
The Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector comprises establishments that specialize in performing professional, scientific, and technical activities for others. These activities require a high degree of expertise and training. The establishments in this sector specialize according to expertise and provide these services to clients in a variety of industries and, in some cases, to households. Activities performed include: legal advice and representation; accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll services; architectural, engineering, and specialized design services; computer services; consulting services; research services; advertising services; photographic services; translation and interpretation services; veterinary services; and other professional, scientific, and technical services.
Trends
This sector comprises 10% of the county’s GDP. Earnings per worker are relatively high across all occupations at $75,750. Ventura County displays a higher propensity for these occupations comparatively to other regions nationally of the same characteristics. Maintaining this human capital in the region is strategically relevant to the goal of resiliency.
Q4 2019 data shows Professional, Technical, and Scientifics Services holding strong at 17,100, an increase of 200 jobs compared to employment totals for December 2018. The conclusion of Q1 2020 showed a substantial uptake in employment in this sector ending with 18,500 in total employment, that would be a year over year increase of 6.9%. Unfortunately, this upswing appears to have been inhibited by the business closures in March of 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, with April and May employment totals ending at 17,500 and 17,400 respectively.
The chart below displays Q1-Q4 employment totals followed by Q1 2020 to show the trends at the time.
| Quarter | Trend |
|---|---|
| Q1 | 17,072 |
| Q2 | 16,400 |
| Q3 | 16,900 |
| Q4 | 17,100 |
| Q1 | 18,500 |
Chart
Professional & Technical Sector Employment Trend
