By Harry Kane

Statistics from the most recent census data provide some insight into the economic recession. Small business owners in Somerville haven’t lost hope and are even encouraged by the growth in the last few months.

The Somerville unemployment rate sits at 4.5 percent, while the national unemployment rate dropped last month to 8.3 percent. The unemployment rate for the state of Massachusetts is 6.8 percent.

Job growth has increased for the past seven months, reenergizing the Presidents’ proverbial steam for the Obama train. It has been the fifth straight month of decline for national unemployment rates.

Mayor Curtatone was interested in seeing more Somerville residents working in the city of Somerville instead of working elsewhere. “85 percent of the people employed are going outside the city. We want to bring them here. In terms of the employability and our employment rate, we’re strong and getting stronger, small businesses are performing well, and we know there are very few vacancies, if any.

Nationally, the economy shows signs of stability with 243,000 jobs being created in the month of January, adding 44,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector alone, this according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The leading growth sector in January with large employment gains of over 70,000 jobs was the professional and business services sector, indicated in the report.

Alderman at Large Jack Connolly looks forward at Somerville’s expansive future.

“The most important thing that the city has done in recent history is to carve out their last frontier, which is Assembly Square. Assembly Square is the key to the city’s future.”

“The decision last year to do the differential incentive funding, which allows the city to take some of the increase in tax money with the Assembly Square project and put it right back into that general area for police, fire and public safety will pay the city huge dividends in the future,” said Connolly.

“The settling of the Assembly Square development was probably the most crucial thing that has happened in this city’s history. That hundred-acre parcel is going to be fully developed. The city as a whole will benefit from millions in additional tax revenues.”

Small business owner, Tom Bent of Bent Electrical Contractors, Inc., says that he is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. His company does a lot of work for institutions such as Harvard and Tufts. During the recession it has been tough for him “but we are starting to see a gradual build-up of work, it’s not anywhere near what it was back in 2005 or 2006 but it’s a lot better than it was.” He’s anticipating more work this summer and sees a promising future with the new construction developments such as the underground electrical infrastructure at Assembly Square and the building of the Orange Line. As well, Bent is encouraged by the fact that the institutions are doing more construction.

Tony Alibrandi owns a barbershop and has been in business for 54 years. “The thing that’s killing us is the rents. The rents keep going up.” He gets $12 for men and $10 for seniors. “My father started in 1938 and 74 years we’ve been in business and in three different locations, all in the same area.” The current address is 194 Holland Ave. “Some weeks they are busy, some weeks they are not,” Alibrandi said.

Mayor Curtatone felt strongly about the economic strength of Somerville. “We’re coming out of the biggest economic downturn since the great depression so you don’t flip a switch and change this. Somerville is in a much more stable position than other cities in the commonwealth with the exception of a couple. But the commonwealth is in a much more protected position than the rest of the country, but still it’s a crawl out of it. We’re all working to create a sustainable economy.”