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of a forecast for jobs. However, if there are some growth industries identified that are unique to San Mateo County, this can make jobs more volatile upward or downward depending on the economic cycle. We assume that one strength for San Mateo County is in life sciences, specifically in the northern portion of the County. The southern portion, where Redwood City is, may be more like the Santa Clara County economy in terms of economic cycles. Unfortunately, data for the city economy and jobs does not provide a lot of detail other than industry sectors. Thus the forecast elements for local employment are: 1.Recent employment (employment is cyclic and based on local employment in previous years); 2.Regional employment (the local area may lead or lag county employment historically); 3.State employment forecasts, and how regional employment has led or lagged behind specif- ically the state economy; and 4.Local specialties or legislation that may enhance or restrict hiring. For example, the minimum wage legislation that is now statewide may slow down local forecasts for San Francisco because surrounding areas are now ascending minimum wages in a more com- petitive manner (assuming higher wages in San Francisco provided an incentive for Redwood City residents to commute). However, we use the current DOF forecast as the basis of the employment forecast, with recent cyclic behavior of employment as a way to add or subtract from the state-level forecast. Employment is a regional phenomenon. Cities and counties share their residents among their em- ployers. Redwood City is no different. The non-farm employment level in Redwood City is officially stated as of February 2017 by the Census Bureau as 56,150 workers in 2014. These are the latest data. However, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) estimates that Red- wood City had 46,810 working residents in 2016. This suggests that Redwood City imports workers to satiate the needs of local employers. The forecast here is for non-farm employment at Redwood City employers, regardless of where the workers live. San Mateo County has official data estimates from EDD through 2015. Between 2002 and 2014, Redwood City was between 14.2 and 15.5 percent of the County total. San Mateo employment is now forecasted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and EDD through 2024. We use this trajectory for San Mateo County as a way to guide a forecast for Redwood City employ- ment. 29