South By North Strategies, Ltd.

America’s Shrinking Cities

The PBS NewsHour reports on the contraction of the City of Cleveland’s housing stock and efforts to put empty properties back to use.

Around The Dial – July 14, 2011

Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:

• Mark Weisbrot argues “why the Euro is not worth saving.”
• The News & Record reports on the new HondaJet facility.
• David Leonhardt points out the problems of “free lunchism.”
• Harold Meyerson describes the latest stage in  “the war on government.”
• Martin Wolf sketches a clash between economic “utopia vs. reality.”

NC Unemployment Claims: Week of 6/25/11

For the benefit week ending on June 25th, 12,256 North Carolinians filed initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits, and 110,327 individuals applied for state-funded continuing benefits. Compared to the prior week, there were more initial and continuing claims. These figures come from data released by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Averaging new and continuing claims over a four-week period — a process that helps adjust for seasonal fluctuations and better illustrates trends — shows that an average of 11,873 initial claims were filed over the previous four weeks, along with an average of 108,872 continuing claims. Compared to the previous four-week period, the averages of initial and continuing claims were slightly higher.

One year ago, the four-week average for initial claims stood at 12,672 and the four-week average of continuing claims equaled 151,074.

While the number of claims has dropped over the past year so has covered employment. Last week, covered employment totaled 3.7 million, down from 3.8 million a year ago.

The graph shows the changes in unemployment insurance claims (as a share of covered employment) in North Carolina since the recession’s start in December 2007.

Both new and continuing claims appear to have peaked for this cycle, and the four-week averages of new and continuing claims have fallen considerably. Yet continuing claims remain at an elevated level, which suggests that unemployed individuals are finding it difficult to find new positions.

The Job Fairies

A segment on a recent episode of the radio show This American Life cast a critical gaze on the modern practice of state and local economic development.

Around The Dial – July 13, 2011

Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:

• The New York Times reports on the state of vocational education.
• The News & Observer profiles Todd Cohen of Philanthropy Journal.
• Nancy Folbe fears “job-oblivious politicians.”
• The National Skills Coalition wraps up a Senate hearing on Trade Adjustment Assistance.
• Calculated Risk thinks about how many jobs are needed to hold unemployment steady.