By Bill Parry
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli presented a new study that shows Queens has weathered the recession and is now a model of recovery that the rest of the state can learn from.
DiNapoli presented his findings, titled “An Economic Snapshot of Queens” to a standing room-only crowd at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City Friday.
“Queens is a New York success story,” DiNapoli said. “The infrastructure in the borough allowed for such a strong comeback from the recession, from the airports to the cultural and entertainment industry here.”
TV star Michael J. Fox stopped in for a few words during a break in the shooting of “The Michael J. Fox Show” in a studio across the hall.
“I want to voice whatever support I can to continue nurturing film and television production in New York. It’s a big part of the city,” he said.
“How great is that?” DiNapoli asked. “If that isn’t an endorsement for the film and tax credit, I don’t know what else will.”
The study showed that Queens gained more than 30,000 jobs during the recovery, 2 1/2 times the number of jobs lost in the recession. The number of business establishments in the borough reached 44,070 in 2011, an increase of 12 percent since 2003. The study also found that the unemployment rate in Queens has been consistently lower than the citywide average over the last two decades.
Incoming Borough President Melinda Katz, one of many elected officials attending, said “you should never have to go over a bridge or go through a tunnel to have a job.”
The rise in anger in many Queens neighborhoods toward the level of noise emanating from LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports may be placated by one eye-popping statistic in the report. The two major airports in the borough accounted for $42.4 billion in regional economic activity in 2012, from passenger and cargo operations as well as visitor and capital spending. JFK employed 35,000 workers last year with an additional 11,000 employed at LaGuardia.
DiNapoli said modernization and improvements at the airports will continue to drive the economic development and that keeping the corporate headquarters of JetBlue in Queens was important. The airline moved from Forest Hills to Long Island City in 2012. The report said there are now 37 businesses in the borough with 1,000 or more employees.
“The study also shows that the neighborhoods with the greatest vitality have the largest immigrant communities,” DiNapoli said. “Immigrants account for 48 percent of the borough’s residents, the second-highest share among large counties in the nation. The immigrant community and their small businesses are a backbone.”
Seth Bornstein, of the Queens Economic Development Corp., a sponsor of the event, said “Queens is all about mom-and-pop small businesses with less than 10 employees each that really drive the success and we need to help support them.”
The southern part of Queens is lagging behind because of the effects of Sandy, with 53,000 homes damaged or destroyed, while 2,000 businesses and nonprofits employing nearly 15,000 people were negatively affected by the storm. The study noted that recovery and reconstruction efforts for homes, businesses and infrastructure have made considerable progress, but work is expected to continue for several years.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
