The Lead Feed

A recent LEAD presentation to a Triad-area health care workforce group offers insights on economic trends in the health care industry.

Previous research has predicted that technological progress will cause widespread unemployment by replacing human laborers with machines, while other more recent analyses stress that automation may lead to disruptions for some occupations but finds widespread destruction of jobs unlikely. This analysis examines automation’s potential risk to North Carolina’s labor market, finding that automation will disrupt employment in some occupations but machines are unlikely to replace large segments of human labor.

Does timing matter for college graduates entering the workforce? Beginning a career during an economic downturn can have long-term wage implications for graduates in the form of “recession scarring.” We find evidence wage scarring effects disappear over time and appear minimal for the class of 2020 due to tight labor market conditions.

In August, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in 98 of North Carolina's 100 counties.

We all know how difficult it is to find restaurant workers these days. In this article, we use data from the North Carolina Common Follow-up System (CFS) to determine what happened to all those people who were working in North Carolina’s bars and restaurants prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and explain why it has been so hard to hire restaurant workers in recent years.

A previous blog used Job-to-Job Flows (J2J) Explorer data from the U.S. Census Bureau to understand job mobility in North Carolina. Continuing to use the J2J data, this blog confirms that for the most part, earnings and separations in North Carolina were inversely related. This has implications for training and hiring practices, especially in lower-wage industries.

We are excited to announce updated NC TOWER - a web-based delivery system that provides information on post-graduation wages, employment, and subsequent enrollment for students who attended public universities and community colleges in North Carolina.

August represented the 11th month of data collection from the Business Pulse Survey since launching last October. While most month-to-month changes have been modest, each period gives us new things to think about for North Carolina’s economy. What does this month’s numbers tell us about the current and future state of businesses?

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from July’s revised rate of 3.4 percent.

We’re living through the hottest job market in decades. But while many workers are getting a raise, the top 20% of earners continue to receive most of the wages paid in North Carolina. This article uses data from North Carolina’s Common Follow-up System (CFS) to show that a tight labor market has helped lift the fortunes of many workers but has done little to resolve longstanding economic disparities in our state.

In July, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates decreased in all of North Carolina's 100 counties.

Many economists, commentators, and advocates have referred to the aftermath of the COVID-19 recession as a “K-shaped recovery”, with high-wage employment growing rapidly and low-wage employment lagging behind. However, in North Carolina, low-wage workers have actually fared better than they did during previous recessions.

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged from June's revised rate of 3.4 percent.

Early adulthood represents a formative period in one’s life when educational and employment opportunities establish a foundation for future economic success. For some youth, however, detachment from these key experiences can have long-lasting consequences. These divergent pathways underscore the importance of analyzing youth connection trends and fostering engagement during this critical juncture in life.

North Carolina saw a record-high number of layoffs during the COVID-19 recession. However, the vast majority of workers who lost their job were quickly re-employed, with most of them returning to their pre-layoff industry sector and their pre-layoff employer. This article uses data from the North Carolina Common Follow-up System to show that the COVID-19 recession had a much smaller impact on displaced workers than previous recessions.