Coming off a busy holiday season, it’s probably clearer to many of us just how strained the American labor market is right now. Maybe you had to wait in a long line to check out while doing your Christmas shopping, or some of the ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal weren’t available on the shelf at the local grocery store. Maybe a friend wasn’t able to attend a holiday party due to a flight cancellation because of limited crew, or some packages were late to arrive on your doorstep. In each case, we can point to a tight labor market that’s yielded fewer workers where we need them, and disrupted the normal flow of goods and services to which we have become accustomed.

Finding safe and affordable housing is a challenge that faces many in our nation. Those who lack the resources to afford safe housing are forced to reside in substandard housing, which creates one or more safety hazards for its occupants. … Read more

The affordable housing issue is more complicated than finding a home. Recent studies highlight the link between a lack of safe, affordable housing and the impact that substandard housing has on residents’ health, particularly asthma cases in young children. North Carolina faces a shortage of affordable housing, so many North Carolinians live in substandard housing that impacts their wellbeing. A Greensboro community seeks innovative ways to bring community partners together to address these challenges. Watch our PBS NC ncIMPACT Town Hall series episode on this topic by clicking the link at the end of the blog.

Announcing the Carolina Across 100 Initiative Get involved with Carolina Across 100 Check out the official Carolina Across 100 website to see all the exciting things that are happening!   Recommitting ourselves to be the University for North Carolina Carolina … Read more

Research has found that the EITC increases participation in the labor force, particularly among single mothers, and reduces poverty. But its impacts are generally restricted to families with children. An expanded EITC for workers without qualifying children might similarly encourage work and reduce poverty among these individuals.

At the individual level, social capital networks help all people access resources that promote economic mobility. However, low-income young adults are more likely to be disconnected from individuals and institutions that promote economic mobility through the labor force. Programs that intentionally build social networks for these young adults to such individuals and institutions may help them gain the knowledge about opportunities and skills needed that lead to career advancement.

COVID-19 exacerbated many existing issues related to the economic mobility gap, such as low-income employment, education, and small business closures. Charlotte Open for Business is a two-phase approach to both recovery from COVID-19 and strengthening the business community beyond the pandemic.

Historically a mill town, the decline of the textile industry resulted in economic and job loss for Rocky Mount. The city and private investors engaged in adaptive reuse, which means using buildings in creative new ways beyond the intended original purpose of the building (especially when the original purpose is obsolete), to strengthen the local economy.

The project team outlined two major, interconnected issues facing communities during the COVID-19 pandemic: hospitality employment and parents departing the workforce. The hospitality industry is one of the hardest hit industries given business closures, reduced capacity, and low consumer confidence. Hospitality employment plummeted in April 2020 and has yet to recover. In North Carolina, September 2020 sector employment was still about 20% lower than September 2019. Underlying this issue is the struggle to reopen businesses safely and improve consumer confidence.

      Download the full ncIMPACT Fall 2020 Coronavirus Survey Report.