Washington, DC: Facing the worst economic slowdown since the Great Depression, efforts to reestablish acceptable growth rates in both Europe and the United North America are relying to a great degree on short-term "stabilization" policies.

In a structurally sound economy, the neoclassical growth model states that appropriate monetary and fiscal policies will enable price signals to stimulate investment. The subsequent multiplier effect will then drive sustainable positive rates of growth. However, these macrostabilization policies can do relatively little to overcome accumulated underinvestment in economic assets that create the needed larger multipliers. This underinvestment has led to declining U.S. competitiveness in global markets and subsequent slower rates of growth—a pattern that was underway well before the "Great Recession."

However, the massive monetary and fiscal "stimulus" applied since 2008 in the United States has had only a modest impact on economic growth. The reason is that the prolonged current slowdown is a manifestation of structural problems. Thirty-five years of U.S. trade deficits for manufactured products cannot be explained by business cycles, currency shifts, and trade barriers, or by alleged suboptimal use of monetary and short-term fiscal policies.

High rates of productivity growth are the policy solution, which can be accomplished only over time from sustained investment in intellectual, physical, human, organizational, and technical infrastructure capital. Implementing this imperative requires a public-private asset growth model emphasizing investment in technology.

Moscow, ID (published in newgeography on December 7, 2011): In many ways, individual U.S. states are like 50 laboratories where differing public policy, industry focus, and economic development strategies are tried and tested. Different approaches yield different results and some states become more competitive – gaining a larger share of total job creation — while others struggle and lose share. This phenomenon has been evident over the past few years as our nation struggles to recover. Some states have been doing quite well while others are still limping along.

In this post, researchers for EMSI produced a side-by-side analysis of every state to show how they stack up against each other. The goal was to see which states are becoming more competitive (that is, gaining a larger share of the total job creation), and which are losing their share of the jobs being created. The table and graphic below each rank the states based on the overall competitive effect and what percentage of jobs (from 2007-2011) are based on competitive effects.

Washington, DC:  A recent study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research uses Bureau of Justice Statistics data to estimate that, in 2008, the United States had between 12 and 14 million ex-offenders of working age. Because a prison record or felony conviction greatly lowers ex-offenders' prospects in the labor market, we estimate that this large population lowered the total male employment rate that year by 1.5 to 1.7 percentage points. In GDP terms, these reductions in employment cost the U.S. economy between $57 and $65 billion in lost output.  For a downloadable copy of the article, click here.

Estimates suggest that in 2008 there were between 5.4 and 6.1 million ex-prisoners (compared to a prison population of about 1.5 million and a jail population of about 0.8 million in that same year). The calculations from the study also suggest that in 2008 there were between 12.3 and 13.9 million ex-felons.  In 2008, about one in 33 working-age adults was an ex-prisoner and about one in 15 working-age adults was an ex-felon. About one in 17 adult men of working-age was an ex-prisoner and about one in 8 was an ex-felon.

Lancaster: On Thursday, January 12, 2012, the 8th annual Youth Career Summit, held at the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County,  brought educators, employers, non-profits and stakeholders together to learn about the local labor market, the many services and resources of the PA CareerLink, and how schools are providing workforce education. An overview of the Youth Council partnership activities and funded programs was provided.

The meeting began with a presentation from Scott Sheely, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board, who gave an overview of the County's economy, priority industries, and the Top Hot 100 Jobs. He explained how these jobs were determined and industries defined. He provided a summary of the streamlined system at the PA CareerLink. a recent Career Pathways, and how career counseling focusing on ladders transferable skills has become a priority of the PA CareerLink.

Employers from the Youth Council commented on the information that Sheely presented. Elaine Box, Director of Human Resources from Armstrong World Industries, Inc. provided information on employer expectations and common skill gaps they see. Patty Pasquino, Human Resources Employment Coordinator at Willow Valley Retirement Communities provided several examples of possible career pathways within her organization. They both agreed about the common skills that all workers need and recommended partnering with the PA CareerLink.

Lancaster:  More than 175 people from business, social service entities, and community and faith-based organizations joined the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board for its 12th Annual Workforce Summit on Friday, December 16, 2011 at the Eden Resort Inn.  The topic of the program was "Social Enterprises: Building a Transitional Jobs Network in the Heart of the Recovery".  Click here for a downloadable copy of the program.

At a time when both the public and private sectors are struggling to define how to create jobs in regional economies, social enterprises where not-for-profit organizations pursue for-profit activities to give clients valuable work experience as well as generate funding to continue their service activities are emerging.  Click here to download a very good overview of social enterprises from the Social Enterprise Alliance.

Social enterprises have been around for years but they are getting a new look as many of the people who have been on the margins of the workforce for years are finding a great deal of difficulty with so many jobseekers applying for every job. Completion of a workforce readiness program, followed by occupational skill training and a transitional job in a social enterprise may be a way to get people on board as the jobs engine moves forward.

A panel of agency representatives that are already involved in social enterprise as well, as philanthropic funders, talked about their experiences.  Panel members included Ron Kratofil from Goodwill Industries, Dennis Steiner from the Susquehanna Association for the Blind and Visual Impaired, and Sam Bressi, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Community Foundation.  The overall warning from the panel involved keeping the social mission very clear in the midst of pursuing the business mission of the venture.  If the goal does not advance the mission of finding jobs for people, it probably should not be pursued.  Click here for some brief information on the panel.

In addition, Scott J. Sheely, Executive Director of the Board, offered his annual State of the Workforce in Lancaster County presentation bringing the community up-to-date with the latest in workforce trends. Click here for a downloadable copy of the presentation.  The presentation highlighted continued good news for the Lancaster County economy and, especially, the manufacturing sector which is growing in output if not in employment.  However, he also addressed some persistent weaknesses including...

• Large numbers of long-term unemployed (8,000+);
• A large and growing contingent (temporary) workforce;
• A large Retail and Hospitality sector that grows many low-skill, low-wages jobs;
• Wages that lag behind the region and the nation;
• Slow growth in Gross Regional Product.

The Board also recognizee six individuals or organizations in the community with its Friend of Workforce award.  They included...

• Melanie Snyder
• Dave Benter and Compass Mark
• Community Services Group
• Stoner Industrial
• The Jay Group
• The Barry Nissly Company

Chevy Chase, MD:Millions of American breadwinners work hard to support their families. But, despite their determination and effort, many are mired in low-wage jobs that provide inadequate benefits and offer few opportunities for advancement. In fact, nearly one in three American working families now earn wages so low that they have difficulty surviving financially.

Although employers are still recovering from the great recession, they remain in need of skilled workers to be competitive.  Lower-wage workers could fill many of these jobs if they could access training that facilitates advancement.  However, many low-wage workers lack the basic skills, time,and resources needed to take advantage of training opportunities.

A new report by the Working Poor Families Project explores workplace education as a promising approach. Click here for a downloadable copy of the report.  These strategies are designed to build incumbent workers' basic reading, writing, math, or English language skills and is often connected to the actual job skills needed by the employers and/or unions who sponsor them.  

Launched in 2002 and currently supported by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, Joyce, and Mott foundations, the Working Poor Families Project is a national initiative that works to improve these economic conditions. The project partners with state nonprofit organizations and supports their policy efforts to better prepare America's working families for a more secure economic future.