Media
Unemployment Rates Fall in Tennessee, Georgia
Times Free Press (May 18, 2012)
David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said he expects the economy to continue to improve this year, albeit at a more tepid pace than most recoveries.
Ready to React to 'Obamacare' Ruling
Nashville Ledger (May 18, 2012)
In 2008, more than 90,000 people in Nashville and 12 nearby counties worked in core health organizations, according to a 2010 study from Middle Tennessee State University's Business and Economic Research Center (BERC). . . . The study's author, Murat Arik, says he believes [health care industry] growth will continue.
Growth in Sales Tax Receipts Deceiving?
Tennessean (May 17, 2012)
In a new report out Thursday morning, the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center notes that inflation has reduced the buying power of every dollar Tennesseans spend.
Tennessee Upgrades Its Job Search Website
Tennessean (May 16, 2012)
Economist David Penn of Middle Tennessee State University agreed [the state site's features should aid workers and employers] but said there might be limitations on who is able to benefit. "The more we can use technology to link employers with job-seekers in a cost-effective manner, the better," he said. "The only rub is access to the Web."
Tennessee Jobless Claims Hit Lowest Level since 2006
Times News (May 14, 2012)
According to the Business and Economic Research Center at MTSU, "seasonally adjusted initial claims dropped to a weekly average of 5,112, the lowest level since well before the recession.
Tennessee State Government Jobs Feel Pinch
Tennessean (May 11, 2012)
The number of jobs in the Nashville area grew by 2.1 percent from March 2011 to March 2012, according to Middle Tennessee State University's Business and Economic Research Center. But had it not been for cuts to the public sector, job growth would have been at least one-half of one percentage point higher, said center director David Penn.
Work Still Scarce for New College Graduates
Times Free Press (May 6, 2012)
A two-year or four-year degree is no guarantee of a top-paying job, and graduates must be flexible and willing to compete in a changing, global economy, according to Murat Arik, associate director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Low Interest Rates Prod Spending
Tennessean (May 5, 2012)
"Consumers are getting more confident about borrowing and spending on big-ticket items," said David Penn, an economist at Middle Tennessee State University.
Services, Autos Power MSA Job Gains
Nashville Post (April 26, 2012)
A lot of national economic indicators may still be wishy-washy at best, but it's hard to ignore the strong Middle Tennessee jobs data of late. The team members at MTSU's Business & Economic Research Center have crunched the March numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Experts Discuss Economic Recovery, Jobs
Murfreesboro Post ( April 26, 2012)
The mining, logging and construction industry in the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area experienced year-over-year employment growth in January and February at 12.2 percent and 8.2 percent respectively, data from BERC shows. Professional and business services witnessed growth during the same time period, with 7.6 percent in January and 5.9 percent in February. Most industries showed modest growth with the exception of non-durable goods, which shows a 2.3 percent year-over-year decrease in January and 1.9 percent decrease in February. Wholesale trade, information and government also experienced decreases during the same time period.
What's the Story Behind Tennessee's Strong Construction Employment Data?
Southpoint (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta blog, April 17, 2012)
The Volunteer State has added nearly 10,000 construction jobs over the past year while other states continue to post declines.
Davidson Lags Suburbs' Spending Growth
Nashville Post (April 11, 2012)
Newly updated numbers from the MTSU Business & Economic Research Center. show that sales tax collected, a proxy for total retail sales, rose just 0.2 percent in Metro in the year end Feb. 28.
Tennessee's Growth is Fueled by Exports to World Markets
Tennessean (April 5, 2012)
Favorable exchange rates also have boosted the state's foreign commerce, said Steven Livingston, who tracks exports as editor of Global Commerce, a publication by Middle Tennessee State University's Business and Economic Research Center. A weaker dollar has made American goods, products and raw materials more attractive and affordable to non-U.S. buyers, Livingston said. "It's all from the fall of the dollar and the pickup of the global economy."
TN Jobless Rate Falls Again
Tennessean (March 23, 2012)
"The state economy now has sufficient positive momentum to argue that we have turned an important corner," said David Penn, a Middle Tennessee State University economist.
State's Increase in Construction Jobs Tempered by Context
Nashville Post (March 15, 2012)
David Penn, director of the Middle Tennessee State University Business and Economic Research Center, said, "The level of employment in this sector had dropped so low that it didn't take a major increase in jobs to show a large growth rate."
Tennessee Initial Jobless Claims Hit 4-Year Low in February
Times News (March 13, 2012)
Middle Tennessee State University's Bureau of Economic Research Center is reporting that initial claims for unemployment insurance in Tennessee continued to improve in February, dropping to a weekly average of 6,037 after seasonal adjustments.
Tennessee's Job Gains Bypass Latinos
Tennessean (March 2, 2012)
The state's overall job gains seem "fairly well broad-based across several sectors," said Middle Tennessee State University economist David Penn. . . . But he acknowledges that Hispanic workers, teenagers, other minorities and the less-educated aren't experiencing the same consistent job gains as the rest of the population.
State Sales Tax Collections Climb
Nashville Post (Feb. 24, 2012)
Sales tax collections in Tennessee continue to climb and are now up 7.4 percent over this time last year, according to data compiled by the Business and Economic Research Center at the Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University.
Nashville Area's Consumer Debt Level Ticks Higher
Tennessean (Feb. 7, 2012)
People typically borrow and spend more when they're feeling better about the economy, said David Penn, a Middle Tennessee State University economist.
Auto Suppliers Bring Additional Jobs to Middle Tennessee
News Sentinel (Jan. 30, 2012); Tennessean (Jan. 20, 2012)
For each direct new hire made by the automakers themselves, there will be as many as three new positions created by suppliers to the auto plants, many of which will locate close to the vehicle-assembly facilities, said David Penn, an economist at Middle Tennessee State University who tracks employment trends.
TACIR, MTSU Tracking Tennessee's Economic Recovery (p. 4)
Tennessee County News (page 4, Jan. 26, 2012)
TACIR is collabo- rating with Middle Tennessee State University's Business & Economic Research Center to provide a web site (http://mtsu.edu/berc/tacir) to track the state's economy during the recovery from the recession that be- gan in December 2007.
Tennessee Jobless Rate Hits 3-Year Low in December
Tennessean (Jan. 20, 2012)
Construction and manufacturing now are leading the healing of Tennessee's labor market. "The strength in those sectors now is pretty surprising," said David Penn, a Middle Tennessee State University economist and director of its Business and Economic Research Center. An uptick in multifamily housing projects and commercial ventures, such as Nashville's Music City Center, probably is behind the recent growth in construction jobs, he said. Automotive-related industries, led by Volkswagen's new Chattanooga plant, are leading the job gains in manufacturing, Penn said.
Industry Snapshot: The Highs and Lows of Theme Parks
Nashville Business Journal (Jan. 19, 2012)
"Industries that depend on entertainment dollars do well when the economy's growing," said David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University. "There will be ups-and-downs in the future." Penn said geography is also a strength, and that the park's overall economic impact will depend on its ability to draw new people or keep people from leaving for attractions elsewhere.
Nashville Rises in Brookings' Economic Rankings
Tennessean (Jan. 19, 2012)
MTSU economist David Penn: "I've been impressed with the drops in the unemployment rate in Nashville. It's less than 8 percent now, and that's because we're generating jobs, not because people have stopped looking for work. The question is, can it be sustained? I think it's likely, but there are risks ahead."
Fewer People Move to Tennessee
Tennessean (Dec. 25, 2011)
Fewer jobs were available to draw people to new locations, and falling home prices made it tough for people to sell a house and move to another state, said David Penn, an economist at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Euro's Woes May Lead to Bargain Imports
Tennessean (Dec. 24, 2011)
"At the moment, I don't think there's much of an effect on purchases from Europe, and historically it has taken about six to nine months for exchange-rate changes to show up in Tennessee trade data," said Steven Livingston, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University who tracks trade and currency fluctuations.
Despite Difficulties, Tennessee Exports to Europe Up
WPLN (Dec. 16, 2011)
Tennessee companies sent close to a billion dollars worth of goods to Europe in the third quarter, that's more than what was exported to China. MTSU's Steven Livingston says while some European countries are having big problems, not all have gone down the drain.
TNTrade Initiative Seeks to Boost Tenn. Exports
WMOT.org (Dec. 8, 2011)
Despite Difficulties, Tennessee Exports to Europe Up
WPLN (Dec. 16, 2011)
Tennessee companies sent close to a billion dollars worth of goods to Europe in the third quarter, that's more than what was exported to China. MTSU's Steven Livingston says while some European countries are having big problems, not all have gone down the drain.
TNTrade Initiative Seeks to Boost Tenn. Exports
WMOT.org (Dec. 8, 2011)
Despite Difficulties, Tennessee Exports to Europe Up
WPLN (Dec. 16, 2011)
Tennessee companies sent close to a billion dollars worth of goods to Europe in the third quarter, that's more than what was exported to China. MTSU's Steven Livingston says while some European countries are having big problems, not all have gone down the drain.
TNTrade Initiative Seeks to Boost Tenn. Exports
WMOT.org (Dec. 8, 2011)
Middle Tennessee State University economist Steven Livingston studies Tennessee exports. He says there is room for improvement: "If you look around the state there's lots of firms that should be looking at foreign markets that aren't. We're still a little bit behind a lot of the United States in the percentage of our firms that are exporting. So there are definitely sound ground to be gained there."
Tennessee Program Aims to Boost Exports
Tennessean (Dec. 7, 2011)
Tennessee firms exported nearly $7.5 billion worth of goods in the third quarter, a 10-percent gain from the comparable year-ago period, according to Middle Tennessee State University's Business and Economic Research Center.
Red States, Green Jobs
Governing.com (December, 2011)
All totaled, 10,000 green jobs will be created in the state between now and 2014, according to a recent report by the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The Health of the Country's Native American Populations May Depend in Part on MTSU Research
MTSU Magazine (November, 2011)
When the United South and Eastern Tribes Inc. (USET) wanted to learn the true cost of providing health care to members of 26 American Indian tribes in 12 states, and whether adequate resources were being allocated, they turned to Dr. Murat Arik, associate director of MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center (BERC).
No Longer Made in China: U.S. Companies Start Re-Importing Some Jobs; Tennessee Companies Benefit
Tennessean (Oct. 16, 2011)
An analysis last year by Middle Tennessee State University economist Steven Livingston found the state generates almost twice the number of requests for trade adjustment aid than one would expect based on the number of manufacturing businesses. Livingston attributed that to two factors. First, many of Tennessee's manufacturing plants are branches owned by out-of-state companies, and Tennessee plants are more likely to be located in rural areas. Such sites are often among the first to be closed when the economy plummets.