Blog Entry List

Jobs are constantly being created and destroyed in our dynamic economy.  The process whereby productive companies displace their less-productive competitors, known as “creative destruction”, has been shown by economists to play an important role in driving overall job growth.  In this article, we illustrate what the process of creative destruction looks like in North Carolina using firm-level employment data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

The NC State Institute for Emerging Issues’ annual conference will be held early next week.  This year’s theme is Future Work, and the key question that the forum poses is: “Is technology and demography shift, how can North Carolina prepare today to create enough good jobs for tomorrow?”

In this article we examine a new measure introduced by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta—the “ZPOP” ratio—which suggests that 92% of North Carolina’s population is currently in the type of work arrangement they desire. This measure confirms other indicators (such as the unemployment rate) demonstrating that North Carolina’s labor market has made rapid gains in recent years.

Workers with degrees in science and engineering are on the fast track to employment in the high-paying STEM jobs of the 21st century.  This article shows how science and engineering grads are faring in North Carolina’s labor market and provides information to help economic developers harness the underutilized STEM talent existing in certain areas of our state.

A new and improved NC Today is now available and looks very different from previous versions. We hope you find the upgrades, which are listed below, to be useful.

Over half of North Carolina’s workforce has a more advanced educational credential than is required for entry into their field of work.  This article describes who these workers are, where they are employed, and what “underemployment” can tell us about our state’s labor market.

Recently, McKinsey and Company produced a short report regarding automation that was written up in the NY Times.

Veterans and military personnel have a tremendous impact on North Carolina. In an earlier LEAD Feed post, we highlighted how military spending supports 578,000 North Carolina jobs and nearly $34 billion in state personal income.

Focus groups are a key tool for understanding business and industry needs in your region. In this article, we define the characteristics of focus groups and outline five tips for conducting them effectively. 

The State Fair has consistently attracted 10% of the state's population over the past 25 years even as the state's population has boomed.

IBM’s 2014 Global Location Trends report tracks the latest trends in corporate location decisions for new and expansion projects around the world.

Although it has faced rapid change and stiff global competition, The Old North State remains a national leader in furniture manufacturing.

The North Carolina Career Clusters Guide provides a new tool for the state's youth and adults to use to connect their interests and skills with occupations and with the training needed to enter those occupations.

Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau released updates in commuting data from two different sources: Household Survey (American Community Survey or ACS) and Data from Employers (LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics or LODES). Since the data show numbers that some may feel tell conflicting stories, we briefly show differences between the two data sets and make suggestions for their use in comparable situations.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s OnTheMap tool has published its 2013 figures for commuting patterns. Here’s a look at what’s been happening with county commuting trends in North Carolina since 2003.