What is commonly referred to as “loyalty” between employers and employees has eroded for decades according to many metrics. Does the weakening of implied contracts mean that work is more transactional than it used to be?

As we prepare for the Conference on Market-Based Solutions for Reducing Wealth Inequality, an emphasis on access (and the lack thereof) provides a constructive framing of inequality’s principal factor.

The Kenan Institute has developed a housing affordability index for North Carolina counties. The index and accompanying interactive map allow users to compare current county-level affordability metrics and see how these measures have changed over time.

Our 2026 Grand Challenge will investigate the changing nature of the mutual commitment that once anchored work. Discover the three key questions we’ll use to guide this year-long exploration.

Forecasting gross domestic product is a challenging practice, but because GDP can reveal so much about the growth of a local economy, forecasts are an important guide in making policy and business decisions.

Officials at North Carolina State University’s Shelton Leadership Center offer thoughts on how close the leadership gap by better preparing young employees to lead themselves, others and their organizations.

Recent Kenan Institute research based on interviews across the state highlights the successes and remaining barriers that North Carolina community colleges face in recruiting and retaining students as the labor market continues to evolve.

North Carolina’s growing skills gap reflects a national challenge, but the state’s robust job market is creating high-paying opportunities for skilled workers. We talked to four experts about how to successfully scale the state’s apprenticeship and training efforts.

Public education and small business anchor institutions recover slowly after disasters, as observed in Western North Carolina’s continuing recovery from Hurricane Helene. One organization offers a lesson on the benefits of getting funding to these sectors faster.

We estimate that industries producing in-demand minerals could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in additional tax revenue for North Carolina and its communities by the end of the decade.

The literature on cross-sector collaboration and cross-sector partnership has grown within disciplinary silos, but new literature reflects a growing recognition that siloed efforts no longer match the scale of workforce challenges such as the skills gap.

North Carolina adopted its County Tiers System to direct economic support toward struggling counties. An examination shows the nearly 40-year-old system is increasingly misaligned with both economic reality and stakeholder needs.