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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14
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JOLTS data metrics: a look at the long-term trends

Thursday, May 25, 2023

A new data analysis of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) by SSTI indicates again the significant impact the pandemic had on the manufacturing sector. While job openings in manufacturing ranged on a monthly basis from 0.8 to 3.9% of total manufacturing employment in the 20 years prior to the pandemic, it jumped to as much as 7.4% in April 2022. Job openings in manufacturing increased dramatically after the pandemic, presumably as a result of the American economy attempting to adjust for disrupted supply chains and a move to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S.

  • Read more about JOLTS data metrics: a look at the long-term trends

The Great Resignation warrants further explanation

Thursday, July 14, 2022

In November 2021, the seasonally adjusted quit rate reached a record of 3.0 percent, a significant increase from the previous highest rate of 2.4 percent.

In November 2021, the seasonally adjusted quit rate reached a record of 3.0 percent, a significant increase from the previous highest rate of 2.4 percent. This phenomenon of rising quit rates is currently referred to as the “Great Resignation.” Investigating the existing data on labor turnover, the historical quit rate data, and the reasons for the rise of quit rates in 2021 are the focus of a recent article from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Labor Review.

  • Read more about The Great Resignation warrants further explanation

Racial disparities in labor market outcomes examined

Thursday, April 8, 2021

A new commentary from a senior policy analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland examines the extent to which disparities exist between Black and whites in labor market outcomes such as levels of labor force participation, unemployment rates, and earnings. Economic inclusion trends have been studied at the national level, but this commentary takes a look at how those disparities vary within and across states with a specific look at the Fourth Federal Reserve District states of Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

  • Read more about Racial disparities in labor market outcomes examined

COVID’s unique economic impact evident in employment data

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Last week not only marked the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the release of updated employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The monthly data shows that the pandemic had a very unusual effect on workers, experienced both as a uniquely-chaotic period of labor force participation, but also as an unprecedented immediate drop in employment. The graphic captures just how chaotic the last year has been.

  • Read more about COVID’s unique economic impact evident in employment data

Early research reveals pandemic effects on education

Thursday, March 18, 2021

A recent Economic Commentary from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland reviews the early research surrounding the effects of the pandemic on education and examines three specific areas of concern: the spread of the virus through in-person school settings; the impact of K-12 school closures on labor force participation; and, the effects of virtual schooling on

  • Read more about Early research reveals pandemic effects on education

Organizations unveil fresh approaches to address workforce challenges

Thursday, December 17, 2020

In a year that has seen the economy drop off a cliff, unemployment skyrocket and racial discrimination shock the consciousness of a nation, one might think all hope is lost. But there are those who are working to take this moment in time and re-emerge on the other side a stronger, more inclusive nation. As many workers face the prospect of a job that may never return, Americans in a more comfortable position who have been able to shift their work to remote locations have applauded the work of those left on the front lines during the current pandemic.

In a year that has seen the economy drop off a cliff, unemployment skyrocket and racial discrimination shock the consciousness of a nation, one might think all hope is lost. But there are those who are working to take this moment in time and re-emerge on the other side a stronger, more inclusive nation. As many workers face the prospect of a job that may never return, Americans in a more comfortable position who have been able to shift their work to remote locations have applauded the work of those left on the front lines during the current pandemic. And a realization that the economy wasn’t always working for all, and the American dream was becoming more of a nightmare for large segments of the population, is coalescing into action for better jobs and greater inclusion.

This week, an alliance of workforce partners has begun to release a suite of tools designed to help those who have worked to build their skills through experience, but lack a four-year degree. A recent report reveals how those who have worked to build their skill set have nonetheless experienced stagnant or downward wage trajectories. Turning that tide to a more positive outcome is the driving force behind many in the workforce development field. In this story we look at the efforts of Opportunity@Work and the Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, both of which are part of Markle’s initiative known as Rework America Alliance.

  • Read more about Organizations unveil fresh approaches to address workforce challenges

Women’s progress could be setback decades due to pandemic fallout

Thursday, October 8, 2020

As the pandemic turned workplaces upside down, women in particular have been negatively impacted. Women, especially women of color, are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed and the supports that working women relied on, namely school and child care, have been upended.

  • Read more about Women’s progress could be setback decades due to pandemic fallout

Employment in 24 states had not fully recovered since Great Recession BEFORE the pandemic, Pew finds

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Coming off a holiday that celebrates workers across the country, today’s labor market is struggling to recover from a peak set in 2000. States whose labor market still hadn’t fully recovered from the Great Recession are facing an even greater economic disadvantage from the pandemic.

  • Read more about Employment in 24 states had not fully recovered since Great Recession BEFORE the pandemic, Pew finds

$2.5 million accelerator fund to invest in community colleges

Thursday, August 20, 2020

A new Community College Growth Engine Fund is being launched by Education Design Lab to help mitigate the growing skills gap and strengthen community colleges as drivers of innovation between education and employment. Education Design Lab is a national nonprofit that designs, implements and scales new learning models for higher education and the future of work.

  • Read more about $2.5 million accelerator fund to invest in community colleges

Women leading increase in labor force participation rate

Thursday, January 9, 2020

While the labor force participation rate of prime-age individuals (age 25 to 54) remains below its pre-recession level, it has been increasing since 2015. A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City found that college-educated women have made the largest contribution to this recovery.

  • Read more about Women leading increase in labor force participation rate

Useful stats: Labor force participation and employment by state and metro status, 2013-2017

Thursday, April 4, 2019

The U.S. unemployment rate is near its 50-year low, but the portion of the population in the labor force is also near a 40-year low.

  • Read more about Useful stats: Labor force participation and employment by state and metro status, 2013-2017

New evidence for opioids’ impacts on employment rates

Thursday, March 14, 2019

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has released a working paper that establishes connections between opioid prescription rates and employment rates. The authors use longitudinal data, as well as leveraging the Great Recession as a sort of natural experiment, to provide evidence that opioids not only relate to declining labor force participation, but have likely caused this outcome.

  • Read more about New evidence for opioids’ impacts on employment rates

Recent Research: Exploring where the workers have gone

Thursday, March 22, 2018

An earlier SSTI analysis detailed the Bureau of Labor Statistics labor force participation projections, revealing a continuing downward trend in the number of workers despite a growing population.

An earlier SSTI analysis detailed the Bureau of Labor Statistics labor force participation projections, revealing a continuing downward trend in the number of workers despite a growing population. Additional research papers released in February from economists at the University of Maryland as well as the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank explores the reasons behind the trend, finding that trade and robots have had a significant impact, and suggests that some prime-age workers may not be coming back.

  • Read more about Recent Research: Exploring where the workers have gone

Useful Stats: Labor force participation by state; overall rate continues decline

Thursday, October 26, 2017

An aging, more diverse workforce is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics foresees in the coming decade, with a declining participation rate, which may in turn restrict economic growth. The new projections released this week echo the downward trend in the rate of labor force participation since the peak of 67.3 percent in early 2000. While recent trends show an increasing level of participation among the 55+ crowd, there has been a decreasing level of participation among 16 to 24-year-olds as school enrollment has increased, as well as a continuing decline among the prime working-age cohort of 25 to 54-year-olds.

An SSTI analysis of the labor force participation rate of the prime age workers for each state revealed a great amount of variation among the states. The map below shows the participation rate for this cohort averaged out over 2014-2016 to account for yearly fluctuations.

  • Read more about Useful Stats: Labor force participation by state; overall rate continues decline

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Recent news from the SSTI Digest

Pew finds partisanship growing in American support for science

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

In the 30 years SSTI has been in existence and the 85 years of concerted federal focus on scientific discover and innovation, the priority of public-private R&D investment has been overwhelmingly nonpartisan. A recent report from the Pew Research Center confirms the cold-war, global competitiveness arguments for U.S science and technology still hold sway across political parties, but fissures in who should pay and who should work on science and tech efforts are beginning to grow. 

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Disruption is echoing in empty university halls

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Vacant storefronts and empty downtown office buildings aren’t the only ways the pandemic-accelerated, technology-stimulated move to remote work has negatively impacted community cohesiveness, commitment to place, and economic opportunity resulting from aggregation. According to a newly released analysis of university campuses, the disconnection and under-utilization problem extends deeper into regions than many may realize. 

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Recent Research: Cross-industry knowledge flows support high-tech entrepreneurship

Wednesday, February 11, 2026
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