In this updated and expanded version of our previous site selection whitepaper, we talk about the need for labor market analysis for today’s businesses, challenges in using various public and proprietary data sources, and EMSI’s solution to facilitate instant access to detailed data.

Labor Market Analysis for Site Selection (Expanded) - PDF

In this whitepaper, EMSI explains the importance of  labor market analysis for businesses, site selectors, and economic development professionals. The paper covers types of key information needed and the challenges of local labor market research using public sources, and some basic features of EMSI’s Strategic Advantage web-based system that make it the top labor market analysis solution for many policy professionals, researchers, and consultants. An appendix reviews the most commonly used public data sources.

Read the full whitepaper (PDF):  Labor Market Analysis for Site Selection

Update: This whitepaper has been expanded — read the latest version.

This document is a short working paper produced jointly by Central Arizona College and EMSI/CCbenefits Inc. It describes data sources and research methods to help colleges determine a region’s labor market needs and adjust programs accordingly.

Download the full document here (PDF hosted by Central Arizona College).

This chapter is an excellent introduction to the background, definition, and goals of “workforce development.” It is one chapter in a forthcoming book on technical/vocational education and training. Posted here by permission of the lead author.

Citation:

Jacobs, R., & Hawley, J. (2008). Emergence of Workforce Development: Definition, Conceptual Boundaries, and Implications. In R. MacLean & D. Wilson (eds.), International Handbook of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Amsterdam: Kluwer.

Abstract:

Scholars and practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds have begun to use the term workforce development. This increasing usage requires sustained effort to create the theoretical background for the new term. The article reviews the reasons that the term has become more important, focusing on five converging concepts: 1) globalization, 2) technology, 3) the new economy, 4) political change, and 5) demographic shifts. This background serves as foundation for a new definition of workforce development that rests on a simultaneous consideration of individual, organization, and societal levels. Finally, the chapter discusses the implications of workforce development on the thinking of policy makers, researchers, and practitioners alike.

Download the PDF Version: Emergence of Workforce Development

In this document, an EMSI economist and data specialist evaluate the RaDiUS database of federal R&D grants as a potential source of regional economic indicators.

RaDiUS (Research and Development in the U.S.) is a database developed by a subsidiary of the Rand Corporation. It’s primary focus is the tracking of federal grants given to research and development. The grants are primarily awarded by the USDA, DoC, DoD, DoE, HHS, DoI, DoT, EPA, NASA, and NSF. RaDiUS’s main uses are “(1) exploring the overall scope of federal R&D activities across all agencies and (2) comparing R&D activities in specific areas of science and technology among the various federal agencies.”

Download the full document (PDF): An Evaluation of the RaDiUS R&D Database as a Resource for Regional Development

Noted policy research firm MDRC (most recently in the news for its role in the Opportunity NYC program), has posted a thought-provoking concept paper about workers, WIA, and welfare. The paper provides a good overview of recent workforce investment history, the relationship of current policy to low-wage workers and welfare policy, and the sometimes double-edged effects of outcomes-based performance standards. It’s a little old (January of this year), but a good read nonetheless.

Read the full paper.

Every region must periodically assess its most important industries in order to ensure that policy priorities are aligned with the realities and needs of the region’s economy. However, determining which regional industries are important can be challenging, since the definition of “important” is not always agreed upon by regional stakeholders. To avoid resorting to multiple surveys or word-of-mouth evidence, hard data is a necessary component of this planning process. Quantitative methods are also much faster and cheaper than qualitative methods, and also less prone to be affected by political pressures.

Read the full document (PDF): Identifying Important Regional Industries

The definition of a region is the first key step in an economic impact or economic base analysis. Which sub-areas (counties, ZIPs, or MSAs) should be included or excluded? What principles guide region definition? This short document is intended to answer these questions and help our users create regions that are appropriate for such analysis.

Download the full document (PDF): Defining a Functional Economic Region

Purdue Center for Regional Development, Indiana Business Research Center and Strategic Development Group Inc. published Unlocking Rural Competitiveness; The Role of Regional Clusters in January 2007.

This is a great resource for anyone trying to define a regional cluster. Appendix I of the report gives a detailed taxonomy of 17 industry clusters.