Making the Most of Economic Data

Making the Most of Economic Data

Dr. Nancy Brown, FAICP, Dean of Workforce DevelopmentCenter for Workforce Development

Walters State Community College, Morristown, TNA Tennessee Board of Regents Institution

Walters State Community College is the administrative and program entity for the Smoky Mountains Area WIA Board

Some Economic Data QuestionsSome Economic Data Questions

Who are your customers?Who are your customers?

How do you use data?How do you use data?

What else can you learn from economic data?What else can you learn from economic data?

What other information is useful and why?What other information is useful and why?

Customers: Who Are They & What Do They Need?

Customers: Who Are They & What Do They Need?

OCCUPATIONSIN DEMAND

TARGETSECTORS

INDUSTRYRECRUITING

DATA

AVERAGEWAGES

OCCUPATIONALDEMAND

OVER TIME

SMOKY MOUNTAINS

AREA\WIA

BOARD&

STAFF

CHAMBERS& OTHER

ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT

ORGS

INDIVIDUALBUSINESSES

TRAININGPROVIDERS

COUNTY MAYOR

WIA CAREER CENTER

STAFF

CHAMBERSSMOKY MTN AREA WIA BD

COLLEGE

Individual & summary reports

on most in demand

occupations & wages for career specialists and

applicants

Report on employment & unemployment

in specific occupations

Report on projected

demand and county

educational attainment

Yearly report to choose target

sectors for planning and

program strategy

Data on demand for a proposed

training program

Employment & commuting patterns for single county

INDUSTRYPROSPECT

REPORTS

BEA BLS

EMSI

CENSUS STATES RRR

Nielsen Claritas

Using Data: Data SourcesUsing Data: Data Sources

Using Data: EMSIUsing Data: EMSI

• Wide variety of data sources in one location

• Multi-state data in one location• Fast and attractive reports• Frequent updates• User-friendly• Open to feedback• Flexible

Using Data: What’s Your BEA?Using Data: What’s Your BEA?

Using Data:BEA Regions & Areas

Using Data:BEA Regions & Areas

BEA Regions:• 8 regions: Far West, Great Lakes, Mideast, New

England, Plains, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, Southwest. • Have similar economic characteristics, such as :

industrial composition of the labor force, demographic, social and cultural characteristics

BEA Economic Areas (EAs)• Define the regional markets surrounding metropolitan or

micropolitan statistical areas. • Include and counties that are economically related to the

metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area

Using Data:American Community Survey (ACS)

Using Data:American Community Survey (ACS)

Supplements Census data Helps determine how federal and state funds

are distributed. Includes:

• Age, sex, race, family and relationships• Income and benefits, health insurance• Education• Veteran status, disabilities• Where you work and how you get there• Where you live and how much you pay for some

essentials

Using Data:Who’s Included in the ACS?

Using Data:Who’s Included in the ACS?

• Only 40% of counties have yearly data. • Rural data is averaged over time. This is a particular

problem in big counties (primarily in the West). • Data that is averaged from 2005-2009 (as most data for

rural counties is), [includes] some really good and really bad years…This may result in rural areas appearing to fare better or worse than in reality.

– Kathy Miller, RUPRI Program Director, Rural Assistance Center, US Dept of Health & Human Services

Using Data: Building a Pipeline

Examples of Occupations

Trained EMSI Yearly Demand

Considerations

HVAC 11 14 Local Industry Demand

Industrial Maint 12 31 New Industry Demand

Nurses, LPN 49 56 Commuting

Nurses, RN 33 39 Continuing Demand in 3 LWIAs

Police Officers 1 25 Other Funding Source

Truck Drivers 2 203 ITA Maximum, Retention

Welders 5 40 New Industry Demand

Using Data: What about Funding a New Program?

Using Data: What about Funding a New Program?

Example: Clean Energy Technology• Current Demand?

– Employment in associated occupations– Number and size of CET and related

businesses/industries

• Funding?• Sustainability?

– Future demand for energy efficient construction and products

– Future demand for associated occupations

Using Data:Is it worth applying for a grant?

Using Data:Is it worth applying for a grant?

• Deciding how large an area should be included

• Combining data from different occupations and industry categories

• Measuring the chance of getting a grant• Documenting data sources• Covering all of the data questions• Combining forces with other

organizations

DESCRIPTIONAT LEAST 50+ ADDITIONAL

JOBS

2012 AVG. ANNUAL WAGE

$30,000+

Offices of Physicians 81 $74,532

General Freight Trucking 67 $49,618

Plastics Product Manufacturing 62 $48,671

Depository Credit Intermediation 58 $46,948

Education and Hospitals (Local Government) 54 $42,657

Health and Personal Care Stores 59 $39,139

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (Private) 50 $37,790

Using Data:Choosing Target Sectors

Other Useful InformationOther Useful Information

• Local business climate• Community business surveys• Educational initiatives• Qualitative data on community

goals• Career center use statistics• Enrollment in programs,

including WIA• Cultural activities

Exploring Data:An Experiment in Comparing Areas

Exploring Data:An Experiment in Comparing Areas

• Chose an area with similar characteristics– Population– Location

• Generated reports on each area’s economy• Compiled data in one Excel file• Identified anomalies and looked for reasons

– Why are wages so much higher in one area for some occupations?

– Is there a potential gap in training that needs to be filled?

Choosing Two Areas

10 counties in E TNTourism-oriented – Great

Smoky Mountains National Park

Population 455,572 (2012) – 4.1% growth, 94% white

Adjacent to Knoxville, TN

10 Counties in SW NCTourism-oriented - Great Smoky

Mountains National ParkPopulation 364,047 (2012)

4.7% growth, 90% whiteAdjacent to Asheville, NC

Overview of the Two Areas in Mid E TN & SW NC*

Mid E TN SW NC Difference

Population 455,572 364,047 80%

Counties 10 10 0%

Average Earnings 33.669 $31,930 86%

Jobs (2012) 193,462 165,802 95%

Unemployed (4/2012) 18,339 14,734 80%

Completions (2010) 3,812 4,021 105%

GRP (2011) $9,956,779,905 $8,011,284,793 80%

Exports (2011) $15,566,213,647 $10,617,883,801 68%

Imports (2011) $19,380,262,406 $15,147,746,252 78%

The mid E TN area is composed of the 10 counties in the Smoky Mountains WIA Area. The SW NC area is composed of the 10 counties in the Advantage West Partnership.

Probable Advantages of Mid E TN

Examples of the 24 industries in mid E TN with: An average wage at least $10,000 more per year At least 10 openings per year

• :Commercial Bakeries • Explosives Manufacturing • Medical, Dental, and Hospital Equipment and Supplies - • Merchant Wholesalers - Walmart Distribution Center• Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (Private) -

Lincoln Memorial University & Tusculum College• Sports Teams and Clubs - Smokies baseball team

Potential Opportunities for Mid E TN

Examples of the 16 industries in SW NC with An average wage at least $10,000 more per

year At least 10 openings per year

• Miscellaneous Intermediation• Postharvest Crop Activities (except Cotton Ginning)• Nonclay Refractory Manufacturing• Golf Courses and Country Clubs• Computer Systems Design Services• Securities Brokerage• Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing

Thoughts & Questions

• Comparison with like areas may give some clues about useful areas to pursue in workforce development

• Comparison with a community that is viewed as an ideal (not just similar) may be useful

• Many questions need to be asked, such as: What is the reason for more employment in a specific

sector? Are the wages in an occupation or industry attractive

to the community? Etc., etc. etc.

Reports 101

• Focus on what the customer needs• Use clipping feature to combine data – avoid overlap• Download into Word or Excel (if only option)• Translate Excel reports into tables that match format of

other data• Customize the title page

– Adapt title, as needed– Add contact information, graphics to further customize

• Insert page numbers• Change page breaks, as needed• Combine data sources on the last page, if there are

duplicates

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

• Eschew obfuscation• Avoid over explaining data BUT…• Know the data thoroughly yourself• Avoid simplifying data too much or too little

– Run and EMSI report first– Add or subtract information to suit the

audience/customer’s needs but…– Let the data tell the real story

• When using EMSI, ask the staff!– Give feedback on problems– Make suggestions for improvements

ContactContact

Dr. Nancy Brown, Dean of Workforce DevelopmentWalters State Community College500 South Davy Crockett ParkwayMorristown, TN 37813423-318-2709 (Phone)423-585-8789 (Fax)Nancy.Brown@ws.edu

The Center for Workforce Development at Walters State Community College is the administrative entity for the WIA program, which is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Walters State is an equal opportunity employer and provider of employment and training services. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, age, political affiliation, or

belief. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to persons with disabilities.