EXPONENTIAL JOB GROWTH
CONTINUED FROM 1
Austin growingwith Tesla’s footprint BY OLIVIA ALDRIDGE
that happen.” Hu man Austin’s emergence as a manufactur- ing and technology nerve center has in uenced other companies to consider relo- cating or expanding in the region; Oracle announced its headquarters would move to Austin at the end of 2020, and Samsung decided late last year to bring a $17 billion semiconductor plant to Wil- liamson County. Trainingupaworkforce said Hiring has already begun at Giga Texas; nearly 350 jobs were posted to Tesla’s careers site as of Jan. 9. Per Tesla’s economic develop- ment agreement with Travis County, all jobs at the factory must pay at least $15 an hour and 50% of initial jobs should go to Travis County residents. Tesla has created several hiring pathways through partnerships with local insti- tutions such as Austin Com- munity College and Del Valle ISD. Similar to Travis County, DVISD, the district Giga Texas falls in, forged a tax incen- tive agreement that will yield the automaker an estimated $46.4 million in savings over 10 years. Several classes have com- pleted ACC’s Tesla START program, a 14-week course in which students learn skills, such as robotics and control systems technologies.
it was his long-term intention. And that’s a powerful signal,” said Dirk Mateer, an econom- ics professor at University of Texas at Austin. Innovation central Giga Texas, located north- east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, spans more than 4 million square feet, according to state docu- ments, and has transformed the 2,100-acre former mining site at the corner of SH 130 and the former Harold Green Road—now Tesla Road. To reel in the facility, Travis County extended a tax incen- tives deal that will save Tesla $13.9 million over its rst 10 years in the area. Tesla, in turn, said the plant would bring at least 5,000 jobs. In a tweet early last year, Musk said more than 10,000 jobs will be tied to Giga Texas in 2022 alone, and he upped his overall estimate to 20,000 on Dec. 16. He also said invest- ment in the factory would total over $10 billion. Austin is coming o two record-breaking years for industry and job growth, Aus- tin Chamber of Commerce CEO Laura Hu man said. She expects Tesla to lead another strong year. “We estimated ... that for every job Tesla brought, you would get between four and six other non-Tesla jobs,” Hu man said. “We’re seeing
Electric automaker Tesla is set to ramp up production out of its southeastern Travis County gigafactory in 2022, bringing thousands of jobs and sending ripples through the region’s economy. Giga Texas, as the factory is dubbed, will produce the Cybertruck, Model Y sedan, and, eventually, batteries. Tesla CEO Elon Musk con- rmed in a tweet—his chosen method for communication— that Tesla would hold a grand opening party in 2022. Tesla did not respond to request for comment by press time. Musk’s interest in Austin has grown past the factory. In late 2021 he announced Tesla’s headquarters would relocate to Giga Texas from Fremont, California. Musk’s mining venture, The Boring Co., has leased space in P ugerville, and his company SpaceX has published job listings teasing “a new, state-of-the-art man- ufacturing facility” in Austin. Musk said he is interested in the area because of its central location in the United States and Texas’ favorable regula- tory environment. Local economic experts also say Tesla will raise the city’s pro le as a global hub for innovation. “This is sort of an a rma- tion that [Musk’s] foray into Austin with the gigafactory was not just awhim, but rather
COURTESY FALCON SKY PHOTOGRAPHY
Giga Texas in Del Valle will employ workers in manufacturing engineering supply chain management and more as it produces the Model Y sedan and other vehicles.
DIDYOUKNOW? 50% of Tesla's rst 5,000 jobs must go to Travis County residents
= 1,000 jobs
5,000
the amount of Giga Texas jobs Tesla initially committed to
10,000
the amount of jobs CEO Elon Musk has said the factory could bring in 2022
20,000
the amount of jobs Musk said the factory will ultimately employ
The Austin Chamber of Commerce projects that for every job provided by Tesla, 4 6ADDITIONAL JOBS will be created in the Austin area.
SOURCES: TRAVIS COUNTY, TWITTER COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Forward Progress.
WholeEarthProvision.com
28
COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook