MAYOR BLOOMBERG DISCUSSES HOW CITY'S SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICIES ARE CREATING A RECORD NUMBER OF JOBS AND HELPING GROW TECHNOLOGY, FILM AND TV, AND TOURISM SECTORS The following is the text of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, May 20, 2012.
"Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
"New jobs numbers that came out last week were great news for New Yorkers. Some 12,000 new private sector jobs were created here in April alone, and more than 61,000 were created during the first four months of the year. And in areas ranging from tech to television to tourism, there was more news last week showing that the outlook for continued job growth is bright.
"Start with our tech sector. A few years ago, it was barely on anyone's radar screen. Today, it's not only one of the hottest sectors of our local economy; it has also built New York's reputation as the place in the nation where exciting tech start-ups are being born, and where established companies need to locate and expand.
"That furious growth didn't happen by accident; it's the result of policies we've put in place that have helped attract talented and creative people from around the world. Today, thanks to all the companies that have started and grown here, the demand for tech talent is greater than ever. Last week, we took a big step - on the Internet, naturally - toward meeting it. We did that with the 'Made in NY' Digital Jobs Map - an interactive guide, found at MappedInNY.com, to New York City's ever-expanding web of digital companies, start-up incubators, shared work spaces, and tech investors. Like other partnerships we've forged to spur tech growth in New York, the map is a joint project of the City's Economic Development Corporation, our Office of Media and Entertainment, and a company called Internet Week New York. The map plots the locations of more than 1,000 digital companies throughout the five boroughs - about half of them added just over the past week. And by clicking on the displays of company names, you can link directly to listings of some 2,000 jobs that employers are currently looking to fill.
"The tech sector's growth shows that New York remains what former Mayor Ed Koch once called us: the place 'where the future comes to audition.' Increasingly, it's also where film and TV shows come to be made. Since 2004, film and TV-related jobs here have grown by 30 percent - a tribute to everything our Administration has done to foster this industry. And keep in mind that the great majority of those current 130,000 jobs are held by electricians, caterers, carpenters, and other hard-working New Yorkers. Last week we learned that six new prime-time programs will be made here - more good news in this rapidly growing sector of our economy.
"Major League Baseball also hit a grand slam for our economy last week by choosing Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, as the site of the 2013 All-Star Game. That's going to have a $191.5 million economic impact on New York. A big part of that will come from the more than 176,000 people who will travel here for the game and for days of related events - an influx of visitors that will help cement our status as the #1 travel destination in the nation. More than 30 million television viewers around the globe will also watch the All-Star Game. That's going to give New York the kind of positive media exposure that money just can't buy. And it will remind that worldwide audience that in baseball - just as in tech, TV, tourism, and so many other areas, too - the Big Apple is at the top of the Big Leagues.
"This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Thanks for listening."
