| |  Lockhart's Demographic & Community Profile
Population
Age & Ethnicity
Workforce
Education
Population of Lockhart , Caldwell County & Surrounding Counties
Distribution of age, ethnicity, and education for Caldwell County
Workforce Information
Skill of Workforce/Training
Lockhart draws a workforce from about a 35-mile radius. Within this area there are a wdie variety of manufacturing operations. Many high-tech companies are located in the Austin area while businesses south of Lockhart tend to be agricultural.
Approximately 50% of our local workforce drives out of the County to work. Since the commuters work in a wide variety of businesses, the available workforce is not necessarily influenced by the nature of local employers.
Several options exist for specialized training. Austin Community College can create specialized instruction and hold classes on site in Lockhart by contract. The State of Texas has workforce training grant programs that are intended for this purpose.
Workforce Poplation/Percent Unionized
Caldwell County Workforce: 15,978; Percent Union: 0%
There is no union activity in the county and no history of union activity in the county.
Potential for EmploymentIn a recent Target Industry Analysis prepared by Lower Colorado authority Lockhart is indicated to be fortunate to have key demographic variables that would be attractive to any employer considering Lockhart as a final destination. These include a growing, youthful population which would be entering the workforce in increasing numbers, the fact that the labor force in Lockhart is twice the size of the total employment for the county which indicates the possibility of luring commuting workers to work locally in Lockhart, and in continuing enhanced performance of the Lockhart school district. All of the performance indicators for the district have been improving which is a positive sign for employers trying to relocate current employers to the area.
From a workforce survey that was conducted in May 2001, a clear trend emerged that there is a highly educated and trained workforce commuting out of Lockhart on a daily basis. Current census and state statistics do not show this trend, but they are likely outdated and incorrect. Ten percent of the commuters surveyed indicated that they work in a technology-related industry.
Local employers also indicated that they are able to hire individuals who live in or around Austin to commute to Lockhart to work.
Occupational Skills
Based on self-reporting, Lockhart has the greatest concentration of employees working in professional/technical occupations. These occupations are closely followed by management, administrative support, and service occupations.
Educational Attainment
Ninety-three percent of survey respondents indicated that they graduated from high school. This percentage is well above level registered in the 1990 U.S. Census, therefore it is likely that survey respondents are more highly educated than the general Lockhart population. This should be kept in mind when interpreting the results. It is likely that Lockhart’s lesser-educated residents did not fill out the survey, therefore the commuting population maybe larger or smaller, depending on the commuting patters of this non-reporting group of residents.
Technology Industry
Roughly a tenth of the survey respondents work in an industry characterized by a high utilization of technology. While residents claimed to work in every industry listed, except for wire and cable manufacturing, fifty percent of Lockhart “Tech” employees work in the computer systems industry.
Desired Employment
It was suggested during the design phase of the survey that there may be a significant portion of the Lockhart workforce who have chosen not to commute but in so doing have been forced to seek employment in industries other than in their area of expertise. For those surveyed, this did seem to be the case. Over 15% of those currently working in Lockhart listed a skill that they would rather be using.
Of the respondents 80% indicate a desire to work in Lockhart at comparable jobs rather than to commute. Reasons include to be closer to family and to be able to be more involved in the community.
Education
Several options exist for specialized training. Austin Community College holds college credit courses at both the Lockhart High School and video conferencing courses at the City's Technology Center.The Technology center also has contining education computer courses. The center is a vendor of both Texas Workforce Center and Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.
Lockhart's Major EmployersAvailable in the Lockhart and surrounding area:
Quick facts about Caldwell County
Caldwell County Appraisal District
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