Southwest Economy, Fourth Quarter 2022
Texas metro unemployment rates drop but remain above early 2020 levels
Unemployment rates across Texas metros have come down quickly since the pandemic recession of 2020, though they remain above preoutbreak levels.
December 22, 2022
Does employers’ worker poaching explain the Beveridge curve’s odd behavior?
Increased worker job-hopping may help explain the odd-shaped post-COVID Beveridge curve and the underlying employment behavior it depicts.
November 22, 2022
Skimming U.S. housing froth a delicate, daunting task
U.S. house prices appreciated a remarkable 94.5 percent from first quarter 2013 to second quarter 2022—a 60.8 percent rise after adjusting for inflation.
November 15, 2022
Whose wages are falling behind the least amid surging inflation?
For a majority of workers, wages didn’t increase as fast as inflation in the 12 months ended in second quarter 2022. Here, we dig deeper to see how outcomes may have differed across groups of workers.
October 18, 2022
More workers find their wages falling even further behind inflation
While the past 25 years have witnessed episodes that show either a greater incidence or larger magnitude of real wage declines, the current time period is unparalleled in terms of the challenge employed workers face.
October 04, 2022
Southwest Economy, Third Quarter 2022
Supply chains slowly mend as Texas firms view recovery in 2023
Since the
COVID-19 pandemic
began in early 2020,
disrupted global supply
chains have strained
Texas businesses trying
to meet strong demand.
October 03, 2022
Southwest Economy, Third Quarter 2022
Office markets slowly emerge from pandemic slump
The pandemic seismically shifted work from the office to home, particularly during its initial lockdown phases. Even when these limits and capacity restrictions eased and economic activity rebounded, office space demand remained soft and vacancy rates climbed.
October 03, 2022
Southwest Economy, Third Quarter 2022
Big federal stimulus, home-value spike won’t ease next slump
Ultra-low interest rates and a historic housing boom that aided state and local government operations are fading, suggesting Texas policymakers may encounter additional difficulties during the next downturn.
October 03, 2022
Shift to working from home diminished large cities’ productivity premium
Since the start of the pandemic, the reduced presence of in-office workers has reduced the wage premium attached to large cities and may have diminished the productivity edge of these areas.
August 30, 2022
Vaccines were key to curbing COVID-19 in Europe; other measures also useful
Vaccine uptake was the most important factor in reducing effective transmission rates in 2021, though the other factors helped bring infections under control.
August 23, 2022