Blog Entry List

A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the number of U.S. job openings near a 13-year high. This good news is offset by continued evidence of a “mismatch” between unemployed job seekers and available jobs at the national level. In this post, I explain how the relationship between unemployment and job vacancy rates (the “Beveridge curve”) can help us determine whether a mismatch is also evident in North Carolina’s labor market.

The central counties of the Raleigh and Charlotte metro areas (Wake and Mecklenburg) now account for 30 percent of all workers employed in North Carolina, up from 22 percent two decades ago. This article shows how shifts in the regional distribution of employment have helped bolster overall wages in North Carolina and illustrate the changing economy of the state

Did you know that North Carolina has the eighth largest veteran population in the country? In honor of Veteran's Day, here are some interesting facts that you may not know about North Carolina's veterans.

The number of jobseekers without work for 27 or more weeks has declined considerably from its historic peak in 2010. However, some evidence suggests that North Carolina’s long-term unemployed may continue to struggle several years after the Great Recession. This article describes what we know — and don’t know — about long-term unemployment in North Carolina

Several states — including North Carolina — have been cited as standouts for their achievements using data to support education and workforce development.

Using the Federal Reserve data, we've compared North Carolina to other states in the Southeast. Our state has experienced the second highest growth since September 2013 and looks poised to continue the trend into 2015.

Third quarter GDP was announced yesterday, and the U.S. grew at an annualized rate of 3.5 percent. The increase was partially driven by spending on the military — a major sector in North Carolina.

Each month, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia publishes a leading index, looking six months ahead, and a coincident index, tracking current conditions. We will explore where the leading index predicts the North Carolina economy will be in six months, what goes into creating these indices, and whether the leading index does a good job of predicting economic trends.

The unemployment rate for states and local areas is a blurry snapshot when it is initially released. This picture becomes clearer over time as the rate is subsequently revised. The following article explains why these revisions, which can be quite large, are a natural consequence of how the unemployment rate is estimated.

An oft-ignored side effect of an aging workforce is its impact on the average wage. Increasing numbers of workers in North Carolina are now in the prime of their careers and are being compensated accordingly, driving up earnings across the state. But what happens when these mature workers retire and are replaced by younger workers at the lower end of the pay scale?

While the national labor force participation rate has been declining for the past decade, the participation rate of those aged 55 and older has been on the rise since the mid-1990s. In this post, we address some confusion surrounding declining national labor force participation rates and the role Boomers are playing in that trend, as well as the situation in North Carolina.

The Millennial generation (persons born 1980 or later) is within reach of surpassing the Boomer generation (those born from 1946 to 1964) as the largest segment of North Carolina’s adult population. As older generations retire from North Carolina’s labor force, this article asks whether younger cohorts will be able to take their place.

Economic growth in North Carolina has progressed at a steady pace since the worst of the Great Recession. However, several data points show that the state’s labor market is growing less dynamic, with fewer workers hopping from job to job and overall hiring and firing activity stuck at unusually low levels. The following article illustrates this troubling trend using data from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics and explains what implications it might have for the economic health of our state.

Experts around the country have started noting a long-term decline in new business start-ups in the United States. Traditionally a backbone of the American economy, small businesses are being replaced by longer living, older companies.  Is this trend also occurring in North Carolina?

Happy National Manufacturing Day! The American South is often considered a major manufacturing hub of North America. In addition, North Carolina specifically plays a significant role in that regional status. So, in light of today's national spotlight on manufacturing, let’s investigate those claims using some manufacturing output and employment data relevant to both the Southeast and to North Carolina.