Posted: March 10, 2010

Vinod Agarwal
Professor of economics
Old Dominion University
 
Vinod Agarwal, professor of economics, earned his doctoral degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Board of Economists and a member of the Virginia College Building Authority. Agarwal was chairman of the Old Dominion University Economics Department from 2001 to 2006.
His research interests are in the area of applied economics. His articles have appeared in journals such as the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Quarterly, Journal of Travel Research, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Eastern Economic Journal, Economics of Education Review, Growth and Change, Journal of the American Real Estate and Urban Economic Association, Social Science Quarterly, and Southern Economic Journal. He is author or co-author of more than 60 professional journal publications and research monographs.
 
Which industries are the best to generate jobs in Hampton Roads?
 
Primary sectors in Hampton Roads for jobs creation are defense, the port and tourism. Therefore, jobs in ship repair, modeling and simulation, professional and technical services, and information services are likely to depend upon the growth of the defense industry. Jobs in the transportation and warehousing sectors depend mainly on the growth of the port industry. The tourism sector helps in creating jobs in accommodation and food services. Secondary sectors that create well-paying jobs are professional and technical services, finance and insurance, construction, and health care and educational services.
 
How do we get those jobs here?

The answer to this question is not that easy as jobs in Hampton Roads, excluding the defense sector, will depend on the overall growth of the global, national and state economy. However, we need to attract some manufacturing-sector jobs to replace the job losses seen due to the closing of the Ford plant in Norfok as well as the International Paper Mill in Franklin.