WHAT DO EXPECTED CHANGES IN U.S. JOB STRUCTURE MEAN
FOR STATES AND WORKERS IN THE TENTH DISTRICT?

          Public interest in the future structure of the U.S. labor market has been high in recent years, as the expansion of international trade, advancements in technology and evolving consumer tastes have had sizable effects on the demand for labor across industries and occupations. What impact will these changes have on states and workers in the Tenth Federal Reserve District?

          Chad Wilkerson, a policy economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, takes a look at the issue in “What Do Expected Changes in U.S. Job Structure Mean for States and Workers in the Tenth District?” The article is featured in the second quarter edition of the Economic Review.

          Wilkerson finds that states in the Tenth District, except Colorado, have industrial structures that are less favorable for future job growth than in the nation as a whole. Several states, he writes, are hampered by high concentrations in agriculture, federal government and telecommunications industries that are expected to lose jobs or grow only modestly.

          Wilkerson also finds that prospects for growth of high paying jobs in several District states may be somewhat lower than in the rest of the nation.

          However, he finds that all seven district states have high concentrations of at least some industries projected to grow rapidly in the coming years. Additionally, the net effect of expected changes in the mix of jobs in each state is to raise the state’s overall average salary. States also have many options to improve their prospects for both quantity and quality of future job growth.
 

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