The LEAD Feed
New Report on the North Carolina Economy
What happened in the North Carolina economy in 2016? How did the economy fare compared to the U.S. and previous years? What key trends are emerging since the Great Recession? A new LEAD report looks at several key economic indicators for the state, including population and labor force growth, unemployment and wage trends, industry and GDP changes, and projected employment.
North Carolina’s Top 300 Private Employers Released
North Carolina releases a list of Top 300 Private Employers, compiled annually, based off the first quarter employment size as reported by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage (QCEW) program. The list breaks out employers by manufacturing and nonmanufacturing.
What happened to middle-wage jobs in North Carolina?
What happened to middle-wage jobs? This is a question that can be seen on dozens of news article headlines across the country. Although the economy is growing, the types of occupations that have returned since the recession have been uneven. A troubling aspect of employment growth over the past decade has been the decline of middle-wage jobs combined with the explosion of low-wage professions.
A Slow Jobs Recovery in the Sandhills
The Sandhills Prosperity Zone has undergone a transformation in its economy since the turn of the century—while its population has grown (mainly through natural increase rather than in-migration), the number of jobs has actually fallen by 1.7 percent. At the same time, the industry mix of the region has shifted in ways typical of other rural regions of the state—with a decline in manufacturing and a shift to jobs in health care, retail, and accommodation and food service. While manufacturing is still important to the region, the mix of types of manufacturing is different. While this shift from goods-producing to service-producing has occurred throughout the state, however the Sandhills region has not gained enough jobs to grow their economy to the same extent as the state.
The Decline of Summer Employment
Decline in the labor force participation is an often-discussed topic of the recent Great Recession and its recovery. Numerous demographic factors have played a role in the decline, including the growing number of older Americans and their decreasing labor force participation rates. However, there has been a real effect from the decline of youth employment – primarily youth seeking summer work. This article discusses youth summer employment in North Carolina, and its changes over the past two decades.
Fun Findings from the Projections
Want to try to see into the future? LEAD recently completed long term regional industry and occupation projections at both the state and local levels.
A possible data driven solution to the question ‘What will I be?’
What are the jobs of future and where will they be? What are some of the better career options? LEAD recently released new long term regional projections and the 2017 Star Jobs Lists at both the statewide and regional levels.
Staying Home: Declining Interstate Migration and its Impact on North Carolina
Moving from one state to another within the United States has decline over the past 20 years, and this may have implications for the North Carolina economy and population.
Women’s History Month 2017
While celebrating the accomplishments of all women during Women’s History month, we especially focus on Frances Perkins, selected by FDR to be the nation’s first female cabinet member.
Women’s History Month 2017
Women's History Month provides an opportunity to explore U.S. and North Carolina changes in "women's work."