COVID-19 exacerbated existing shortages in the labor market, causing business leaders to revise corporate strategies designed to recruit and retain the workforce needed to compete in at the state, national, and global level. We must recognize and support the critical role our community colleges serve in meeting employers’ post-pandemic workforce demands if we are to close the skills gap in the current labor market.
Immigration is one of the most contentious policy issues, and Congress has for decades failed to make any significant legislative progress. The result is an incoherent policy landscape and serious operational challenges on the ground. At the same time, immigration and immigrant integration are critical to U.S. workforce growth, government fiscal solvency, and innovation. I discuss key findings from the economics literature and their implications for where to focus immigration reform efforts.
In 2022, in-migration slowed, and out-migration accelerated, reducing the role of net migration in North Carolina statewide population growth, according to recently released Census data. For the Tarheel state, we document changes in gross and net migration flows between 2021 and 2022, highlight possible drivers, and offer anecdotal evidence as to why the revealed changes may foreshadow a longer- term shift in migration’s role in statewide population change.
Supreme Court decisions on reproductive rights and affirmative action inadvertently afford the nursing profession a propitious opportunity to capitalize on the nation’s rich mosaic of iceberg demographic identities—inherited and acquired traits that may not be visibly apparent—to address pressing worker shortages and other workplace conundrums.
New business formation plays a crucial role in predicting economic activity in North Carolina. Research shows that business starts positively impact county GDP growth and job creation, with larger effects in highly populated counties. The impact is smaller but still significant in less populated counties. Employment growth also varies by sector—new businesses in goods-producing industries create jobs after a delay, while service-sector businesses contribute to job growth more quickly. This research was done in collaboration with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s Office and the North Carolina Collaboratory.