RECENT ARTICLES
- From Accenture: Thanks to this advisor ability, generative AI offers a wealth of applications for deal teams. In deal sourcing, teams can get AI assistance in developing investment theses and portfolio optimization and diversification. During the due diligence phase, AI can assist with risk assessment and competitive analysis, allowing teams to spend more time on deeper analysis, scenario builds and value creation plans. The possibilities stretch across the deal lifecycle through to monitoring portfolio performance, anticipating exit readiness and identifying potential buyers. Click here to read more.
- From The Annie E. Casey Foundation: The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures, virtual instruction and increased social isolation, causing concerns about student learning loss and declines in school connection. While some indicators bear out these concerns with drops in student reading and math proficiency, and a spike in chronic absenteeism, 2022 high school graduation rates signal promising signs of early pandemic recovery. Data by race and ethnicity, though, show enduring educational inequities for students of color, particularly for American Indian or Alaska Native students. To address inequities and ensure a full recovery from the pandemic, schools and communities can strengthen partnerships on comprehensive approaches to support student success, especially for vulnerable students. This includes bolstering systems in and outside of schools to address diverse student needs, from education and family needs to emotional and physical health issues. Click here to read more.
- From The Aspen Institute: Weavers show that, by starting with a vision built on strength, treating everyone as a leader, and centering on strengthening relationships, Americans can weave a new social fabric built on trust Weavers show us that a more united America is within reach, and perhaps even closer than we think. They teach us that one of the most awesome powers of a community may just be its ability to cultivate effective leaders from within. Click here to read more.
- From Brookings: AI systems raise an interesting set of questions regarding trade secrets, because they can generate economically valuable information that was not originally in the possession of their human designers. Consider an AI system used by a pharmaceutical company to develop new drugs. Suppose that the AI system identifies a formula for potential new drug that it deems to be highly promising. At that moment in time—after the AI system has identified the formula but before any of the people who work at the pharmaceutical company have learned of it from the AI system, what are some reasons why the formula should qualify as a trade secret? Click here to read more.
- From Center for American Progress: Within the cement and concrete industry, companies and scientists are working hard to develop new low- and zero-emission manufacturing processes that have the potential to transform this highly polluting industry. Bringing these innovative solutions to the scale necessary to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 will require further research, development, and ambitious investments and policies worldwide. The United States has made progress in funding innovative solutions that eliminate both process emissions released in limestone calcination and energy-associated emissions. While only a few of these companies are currently producing at a commercial scale, their progress shows multiple technology pathways to decarbonize the sector, and the DOE grants allocated in the past few years will help accelerate their operations and keep costs competitive. In addition, policymakers should enact and expand policies to reduce emissions from cement and concrete, including public procurement policies such as “Buy Clean,” tax policies that incentivize clean materials, and standards for carbon intensity or embodied emissions of cement products. Click here to read more.
- From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Our UI system needs a significant overhaul to reach its intended goal of providing adequate temporary assistance for those who have lost their jobs and are seeking work. While much more needs to be done, the Wyden-Crapo bill does take some important first steps toward improving the administration of the UI system. Click here to read more.
- From Economic Policy Institute: Unemployment rates today are comparable to 2019. Sustained low unemployment over the last 2.5 years has disproportionately benefited Black workers who have lower unemployment now than in 2019, leading to a slow narrowing of the persistent Black-white unemployment gap. Hispanic workers experience lower unemployment than Black workers in general, but their rates are now slightly above their 2019 level. Young adults are experiencing similar unemployment as before the pandemic. Click here to read more.
- From FedCommunities: While these overlapping problems might seem intractable, the fact that they concentrate in neighborhoods presents an opportunity. For example, combining resources and ideas from those working on solutions in all three sectors can help communities overcome all three problems at once. And while joining forces from discrete workstreams may sound expensive and complicated, the reality is that states can save money in the process and unleash potential in underinvested places. This integrated strategy for addressing climate, health, and economic vulnerabilities is more just, cost-effective, and efficient. It’s also healthier for people and better for the environment. Click here to read more.
- From the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta: For some workers, career advancement and higher pay can trigger a loss of means-tested public assistance. Workers may struggle to plan for that loss due to the complexity of public assistance rules and a lack of projections about their income and expenses. The Atlanta Fed designed the Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) tools to help workers make more informed financial decisions about job training and employment in the context of public assistance loss and paying for basic expenses such as housing, childcare, and health care. This discussion paper presents the findings from a two-year study of CLIFF implementation by 23 organizations in 13 states. Through the analysis of interview and focus group transcripts, we find three overarching themes related to implementation: 1) identifying the appropriate population of users for CLIFF; 2) integrating CLIFF into existing organization operations; and 3) integrating CLIFF into coaching sessions. These themes along with the associated subthemes suggest ways that organizations can more effectively incorporate public assistance calculators into existing financial and career coaching contexts. Click here to read more.
- From Gallup Workplace Insights: Amid these concerning enrollment trends, Gallup finds that overall confidence in the higher education industry remains at a record low, while the percentage of Americans with very little confidence in higher education is at an all-time high. Lower confidence ratings in four-year institutions and concerns about the cost and value of the degrees they provide may partially explain these declining ratings in the higher education industry in general. Click here to read more.
- From the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP): The six core programs under WIOA are designed to create a robust and responsive workforce development system. By understanding and effectively implementing these programs, workforce development professionals can help build a stronger, more inclusive labor market that benefits both job seekers and employers. Through their dedication and expertise, they ensure that the goals of WIOA are met, fostering economic growth and improving the quality of life for countless individuals. Click here to read more.
- From Jobs for the Future: High-quality pathways prepare students for good jobs—but what do we really mean by that? JFF’s Quality Jobs Framework provides an expanded definition of quality jobs, highlighting job characteristics all workers deserve in addition to good pay and benefits, such as flexibility, autonomy, stability, and advancement opportunities. By examining national data, we explore what measures of job quality the technology sector is strong in and where it could stand to improve. With a growing demand for more technology roles and skills and a shortage of qualified workers leading to the emergence of more technology pathways, we explore this question: Does the technology sector pass our new definition of job quality? Click here to read more.
- From Manpower: The rapid progress in large language models and generative AI technology has been a driving force behind the surge in AI agent capabilities. Today’s AI swarm agents are capable of making decisions and acting independently, therefore changing the game when it comes to integration of AI with conventional IT infrastructures. AI swarm agents can interact with a wide array of systems and services, and because they can be deployed by the millions and even billions to tackle a given challenge collectively, they can perform tasks traditionally done by humans on a much larger scale.In an era of persisting labor shortages, it’s critical that staffing organizations learn to use technologies such as AI swarm agents to recruit and develop top talent faster and more effectively than we have in the past. Click here to read more.
- From McKinsey & Company: Today, insurance industry CROs are facing multiple demands from both relatively well-known and new risks. Industry leaders are resisting short-term actions and are instead focusing on the financial and nonfinancial risks that matter most, making selective investments in capabilities such as advanced analytics and gen AI. CROs, working with the CEO, the full executive team, as well as the board’s audit and risk committees, are also building proper emerging-risk identification capabilities, fostering a culture of innovation, enhancing strategic agility and resilience, and prioritizing the management of technology. All of this is in service of protecting the firm, its customers, its employees, and in the end, its shareholders. While risks are ultimately owned by the first line of defense, the CROs—whether they have been in the seat for long or are new to the role—are playing a more strategic role than they did just five years ago. We expect this trend to accelerate. Click here to read more.
- From the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE):New college graduates are clear about what they are looking for in a job and in an employer: economic security tops their wish list, according to a new study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Among the nearly 2,300 bachelor’s degree level graduates taking part in NACE’s annual student survey, economic security is defined as job stability, annual salary increases, and a good benefits package—featuring a company-matched 401k and employer-paid health insurance. These were the top attributes they cited in their dream job. Click here to read more.
- From the National Association of Counties (NACO): “As families started to access and receive these services, we started to see their needs come down, and our community health ultimately improved,” Huberty said. “The services are out there, but sometimes when they’re in that state of crisis and state of panic, they just need someone to help them get there before they have that major life event. “But usually what happens systemically is we can’t be involved, we can’t help [before a crisis]. But we can all help, and especially if you want to receive these services on a voluntary basis, we will absolutely be glad to help and not see you enter through our doors.” Click here to read more.
- From the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB): “It’s time for Congress to make a real investment in workers, learners, and employers, especially at a time when there are over 8 million job vacancies in our country,” said Brad Turner-Little, NAWB’s president and CEO. “Filling those jobs with skilled workers is essential to ensuring economic vitality in all our communities. We urge Congress to strengthen the investment in the American workforce, rather than reducing support for the publicly funded workforce system.” Click here to read more.
- From the National Conference of State Legislatures: These students had a hard time imagining they could ever go to college, but they each found at least one adult in their lives who helped them. For some, it was a teacher who invited them to eat lunch in their classroom; others found a guidance counselor or a therapist through a state or school program. And all of them say the mentorship through SchoolHouse Connection has been vital. Jordyn Roark, the organization’s director of youth leadership and scholarships, says the students’ stories illustrate the powerful effect that a caring adult can have in young people’s lives. “Some of my (scholarship) students live in states that have really stellar resources, and they do really well,” Roark says. “(But) I hate to think that the state a student is born in, the school that a student attends, determines their fate.” She urged the lawmakers to “figure out what resources are available in their states and what you can replicate within your own.” Click here to read more.
- From the National League of Cities (NLC): Clean water infrastructure needs, including wastewater treatment and water quality improvements, total $630.1 billion nationally over the next 20 years. Similarly, the national drinking water infrastructure needs represent another $625 billion. Unprecedented levels of funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), federal grants, and State Revolving Funds (SRFs) offer increased support for water infrastructure challenges. As the need for water infrastructure improvements grows, so does the need for no-cost support to help communities secure funding. Click here to read more.
- From the National Fund for Workforce Solutions: Balancing work and childcare responsibilities is a daunting task for many employees. The demands of parenting coupled with professional commitments often lead to stress and decreased productivity. According to the Center for American Progress, the difficulty of finding reliable and affordable childcare is a significant issue for many working parents. This struggle can lead to absenteeism, decreased job satisfaction, and high turnover rates. Click here to read more.
- From the National Skills Coalition: In the Senate’s WIOA reauthorization bill, there are slight improvements in local board makeup compared to ASWA, which lacked mandatory changes to board composition or state/local plans. The Senate version introduces “standing committees” to advise on issues like youth employment, workers with disabilities, and reentry populations, each requiring representation from individuals with lived experience. However, these committees are advisory only and not mandatory, supplementing existing advisory structures on many workforce boards. A more impactful and equitable approach would be to mandate compensation for workers with specific lived experiences on local boards. Click here to read more.
- From Prosperity Now: As we look back on April’s Second Chance Month, it is important to remember that every year, more than 600,000 people are released from prison and given a chance to build a new life. Discriminatory hiring practices and other barriers often present obstacles to securing stable employment. In fact, nearly 75% of formerly incarcerated people are still unemployed a year after their release. Click here to read more.
- From the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): Summer jobs are traditionally a source of employment for younger workers. Bunker noted that May data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that while teen employment has held steady in recent months, jobs for workers ages 20-24 have declined. He added that the disconnect might be explained by the divergence between traditional summer jobs such as lifeguards and camp counselors—which are generally attractive to teens—and corporate internships and entry-level jobs, which are typically more attractive to workers in their early 20s. Click here to read more.
- From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The advantages of achieving growth are evident, yet frequently, the route to revitalizing growth is neglected. Finding a way to increase growth should be the key focus of all policymakers. Through the November elections and beyond, the Chamber will outline policies that will help us reach the goal of 3% annual real economic growth. Click here to read more.
- From Workforce Monitor: Growing numbers of reporters and editors, tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop, are exiting the profession, citing burnout as the reason for their departure. When scholars of journalism study the effects of the shrinking press corps, they usually focus on how it hurts civil society. Vast swaths of the country are at risk of becoming “news deserts,” with limited access to reliable local journalism. This state of affairs makes it harder for people to make educated decisions and is linked to reduced political engagement, research shows. What’s more, fewer reporters means less oversight of those wielding political and economic power. Click here to read more.
- From Workday: While there are continued challenges, including a still-tight labor market and trade uncertainty, manufacturers are also feeling more optimistic in recent months. In the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, 68.7% of respondents reported feeling positive about their company’s outlook. That’s still lower than the historical average, but 2.5% higher than in December 2023. To overcome challenges and capitalize on growth opportunities, many manufacturers are feeling bullish about digitization—understandable considering that 83% believe smart factory solutions will transform the way products are made in 5 years, according to Deloitte. Click here to read more.
- From WorkingNation: The learners who stand to gain the most from short-term programs are also more likely to require financial support. Indeed, those who pursue short-term credentials are disproportionately students of color or from low-income backgrounds. Without the means to pay for these programs, their flexibility and relevancy count for very little. For these students, access to Pell Grants remains essential. After years of extensive debate and discussion, lawmakers have never been closer to making this meaningful change a reality. By extending Pell to cover short-term programs, they can better align postsecondary education with both the needs of learners and the real-world demands of the workforce. Click here to read more.
- From WorkRise: A new project from the Urban Institute finds that while clean energy jobs are more likely to be high quality (or offer better wages, benefits, and job security) compared with the overall labor market, women and people of color are underrepresented in the potential clean energy workforce. Our analysis also finds that high-quality jobs in clean energy are generally in the following occupations: engineering and architecture; management; installation, maintenance, and repair; and construction and extraction. To advance equity in the clean energy workforce, communities could work with universities, employers, and unions to address barriers to high-quality jobs and help women and people of color access higher education and workforce development opportunities. Click here to read more.
DATA TOOLS
- From Atlanta Regional Commission: Each week ARC, in partnership with Neighborhood Nexus, provides updated research and analytics through the 33on blog. From a look at housing, rental rates, and cost of living to the job market and latest on wages, this blog is a one-stop portal to a treasure trove of local and regional data. Click here to learn more.
- From Brookings: Using data from hundreds of thousands of real job transitions, the Job Mobility and Smart Growth Toolkit shows how workers can advance through labor markets—featuring national and city-by-city data on wage levels, local labor demand, and job mobility rankings for 441 occupations, from retail salespeople to cooks to computer programmers. Click here to see the toolkit.
- From the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity (CWEO): The Unemployment Claims Monitor displays data from the weekly and monthly unemployment claims reports from the U.S. Department of Labor. It is updated every Thursday. Users will find weekly and monthly data on claims and on who have filed for unemployment insurance, including special unemployment programs like Short-Time Compensation (or Workshare), Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees, Ex-Service Members, and Extended Benefits programs. The Opportunity Occupations Monitor displays opportunity employment and its prevalence across labor markets. Opportunity employment is an estimate of the number and share of jobs accessible to workers without a bachelor’s degree that pay more than the national median wage. Click here to learn more.
- From the Georgia Department of Labor: The Georgia Department of Labor provides access to a complete set of data tools for workforce developers to better understand the labor market conditions in Georgia. The portal also includes resources for job seekers and employers. Click here to learn more.
- From Georgia Power: Georgia Power’s Community & Economic Development team maintains interactive tools to take a deeper dive into the data on target industries, the labor force, and more. Click here to learn more.
- From the National Fund for Workforce Solutions: The National Fund for Workforce Solutions’ Workforce Equity Dashboard provides disaggregated data that uncovers racial gaps in workforce outcomes, identifies opportunities to advance racial equity across systems, and informs high-impact strategies to build a future where employers, workers, and communities prosper. This dashboard was developed in partnership with the National Equity Atlas. Click here to learn more.
- From Neighborhood Nexus: Neighborhood Nexus, a data partner of ARC, developed Data Nexus, a powerful tool to find, visualize, analyze, and download community data including demographic, education, health, and economic indicators from state and national sources, all in one place. Click here to learn more.
- From the Partnership for Southern Equity: The Metro Atlanta Racial Equity Atlas (MAREA) is designed to offer an immersive, story-centric experience that contextualizes personal narratives with engaging, interactive community data and historical background. This tool has been developed by the Partnership for Southern Equity, Neighborhood Nexus, and archi. Click here to learn more.
- From Prosperity Now: The Prosperity Now Scorecard is a comprehensive resource for data on household financial health, racial economic inequality, and policy recommendations to help put everyone in our country on a path to prosperity. Click here to access.
- From the Technical College System of Georgia: TCSG’s Data and Research provides access to the System Scorecard, enrollment data, and more. Click here to learn more.
- From the University of Georgia, Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG): CVIOG has developed toolkits and other resources on a variety of workforce topics. Click here to learn more.
- From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Right now, there are too many jobs without people to fill them. As a result, businesses can’t grow, compete, and thrive. The America Works Data Center captures trends on job openings, labor force participation, quit rates, and more. Click here to learn more.
- From WorkSource Georgia: Through its portal, WorkSource Georgia provides access to labor market facts, area profiles, industry profiles, educational profiles, and occupational profiles. Click here to learn more.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Through our MAX Resource Library, count on MAX to help connect you with reports and studies, data tools, websites and online portals, and other sources of information related to workforce development. Click here to learn more.
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