Topics Related to Business & Industry

As LEAD’s research has shown, automation has, is, and will continue changing North Carolina’s labor market. Preparing now for future disruptions from automation can help mitigate negative impacts. This article explores policies and strategies to do that.

In this edition of NC Economy Watch we take stock of how high interest rates have affected the North Carolina economy. The Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates at the fastest pace in over 40 years, making it more difficult for businesses and consumers to access credit. So far, our state’s economy has largely held up in the face of tightening credit conditions, but the delayed effects of high interest rates may lead to more serious consequences in the months ahead.

In a previous post, we explored some of the key findings from the recently published North Carolina Registered Apprenticeship Survey Report, including the financial returns associated with businesses’ apprenticeship programs. In this post, we’ll investigate some of the mechanisms through which apprentices provide these returns to businesses and some of the differences between programs in various industry sectors.

A recent survey of nearly 300 apprenticeship programs across North Carolina found that investments in apprenticeships produce a strong financial return to companies. This post, the first of two, explores some of the survey's key findings, including the survey's analysis of businesses' financial return on apprenticeship investments.