Carlsbad, CA
Home MenuBusiness
|
|
|
||
|
Workforce development & |
Carlsbad Commuter app |
Carlsbad Life in Action Recruiter
|
|
2024 Carlsbad Business Survey is Open
The City of Carlsbad has launched its 2024 Carlsbad Business Survey. This survey is a confidential and convenient way for local business owners and leaders to share feedback about Carlsbad as a place to do business.You can take the survey here: carlsbadca.gov/BusinessSurvey
It should only take about 15 minutes to complete.
About the Survey
- The survey will be open through January 2024.
- The survey is intended for business owners, executive management, and senior leaders who have knowledge of the overall operations and direction of the business.
- Responses will be anonymized and aggregated with other responses. No individual or business information will be shared or published.
- The survey asks about different aspects of current business operations, such as workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns. It also asks about future growth expectations and feedback on the business climate in Carlsbad.
- The survey is conducted every two years to ensure the city understands current challenges and trends in the business community.
- The City of Carlsbad appreciates your time and participation in this survey. Your feedback will help improve services and support for the local business community.
- For any questions related to the survey, please contact our economic development team at business@carlsbadca.gov.
Thank you for taking the time to ensure the City of Carlsbad is better informed about the state of the business community!
Doing business
The economic development team is here to serve and support the city’s business community. Whether you are a small business or our largest tech employer, the city wants to make sure your business thrives in Carlsbad. The city team is here to help with getting your business license, bidding on projects and contracts or meeting with our development services team about permits and processes. You can learn more about the benefits of starting or expanding a business in Carlsbad at our Doing Business in Carlsbad story map. If you are a business looking for a new space in Carlsbad, please email economic development staff at business@carlsbadca.gov.
Useful resources
Looking to start your own business? Our questionnaire is designed to link small businesses with local resources, providing information to tackle some of the top challenges prospective small businesses commonly face.
The Guide to Opening an Eating Establishment provides insight on where you can open an eating establishment in our city and how the process works. Useful information for food truck and sidewalk vendors can be found on our website as well.
New state and local environmental regulations are being phased in over the next couple of years. Find information on these regulations, as well as resources for your staff and customers, on the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle page.
Talent attraction & retention
One of the City Council’s strategic focus areas is bringing quality jobs to the city in today’s globally competitive economy. Carlsbad's Life In Action initiative is a resource for employers looking to land that perfect candidate. It provides additional tools, such as a hiring toolkit with media assets, brochures and infographics, to make the case for why the job in Carlsbad is the right one.
The Carlsbad Job-Readiness Room is a free program that helps residents build job skills and bolster their chances of landing a new job in Carlsbad. The platform is powered by Bendable, a learning marketplace that allows people to discover new knowledge and skills through online courses, in-person events and other learning resources.
Economic Snapshots
Carlsbad Economic Snapshot FY 2022-2023 Q3
Economic Development Strategic Plan
Carlsbad Economic Development Strategic Plan
Biennial Business Report
The biennial business report provides an understanding of specific attributes of Carlsbad’s business climate, including workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns, among other issues for Carlsbad’s business community.
Connect with us
Carlsbad has a range of options for businesses to establish, grow and thrive. If you are ready to learn more about doing business along the creative coast or have general questions about doing business in our city, contact the Innovation & Economic Development Department at business@carlsbadca.gov.
News headlines
Financial and economic report
Some parts of Carlsbad’s economy are returning to pre-pandemic patterns, although it’s still too early to know what the new normal will ultimately be, according to an economic and financial report on the first quarter of the fiscal year presented to the City Council Tuesday.
Carlsbad has the fifth highest population in the region but the second highest gross regional product. At $16.6 billion, Carlsbad’s GRP is a result of the city’s diverse economy, including life sciences; information, communications and technologies; cleantech; sports innovation and design; and hospitality and tourism.
“Revenge travel,” a term coined to explain pent up demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, provided record revenues in 2022 from transient occupancy tax, the money paid by visitors when they stay in local hotels and short-term vacation rentals. Carlsbad consistently has the second highest transient occupancy tax revenue in the region, after San Diego.
That demand appears to be leveling off. The average occupancy of hotel rooms over the most recent 12 months is 72.3%, which is slightly lower than 72.7% at this time last year. However, transient occupancy tax revenues received during the first quarter of the fiscal year represent a slight increase of $31,000, or 0.3%, when compared to the same year to date period last year.
Office vacancy continues to inch up, now at 12.7%. Industry experts attribute this to companies with remote or hybrid workers not renewing their leases when they expire. On the other hand, Carlsbad could benefit from employers who are seeking smaller or satellite offices closer to where employees live.
Retail vacancy remains low, now at 5.4%. However, the low availability of retail space is driving up costs for businesses.
Finally, despite elevated interest rates, home values in Carlsbad have begun to rise again. The current median home price in Carlsbad is $1.45 million.
City financial update
Local economic performance is directly related to city revenues because the city relies on taxes to fund most day-to-day services. After the first three months of the fiscal year, city finance staff reported that spending is on track with projections, with about 70% of the annual budget remaining.