AQUA BOOK 2015 | Page 33

The relatively high diversity of local employment bases in South Texas should keep the region as a whole reasonably well insulated from imminent cutbacks in the state’s oil production. Employment, 2014 . . .high diversity of local employment bases in South Texas should keep the region as a whole reasonably well insulated from imminent cutbacks in the state’s oil production. Source: EMSI. Annual Review of South Texas Economy DIVERSIFICATION VS. SPECIALIZATION In Corpus Christi, the manufacturing sector accounts for 5 percent of regional employment but 26 percent of the area’s GRP. This contrast reflects the relatively high value-added activity of the heavy industrial manufacturers in that area, such as petrochemical manufacturing. This sector is currently undergoing massive expansion, which is poised to significantly alter the economic gravity of the Coastal Bend region. 31