While educational attainment is below average in big parts of the Calumet region, education and training have become more important to obtain jobs in the Calumet region. The Olive Harvey report shows projections of change in local area employment from 1990 to 1998 for various kinds of occupations. 149 Hope for the Future Loss of jobs and population and growing distances to jobs have had an affect on the hopefulness of residents of the region. People see life in the region as not good enough. Crime is higher than it should be, even if perceptions are worse than the facts.
Some residents continue to be exposed to extreme environmental hazards.
Table XI reflects findings of the 1996 MCIC survey data for a core part of the Calumet region. MCIC defines the Calumet region as South Chicago, Calumet Heights, South Deering, East Side, and Hegewisch community areas. 150 Fear of crime also affects the relationship of local firms to the community. The vast majority of employers and their workers feel safe within the confines of their places of work, but the image of the area beyond the confines of the plants is that crime is high. This is a major obstacle in recruiting employees and marketing sites.