Building Trades and Big Tech Adjust with Data Centers

With the rising demand for artificial intelligence, data centers are experiencing a period of rapid growth and planning.

This shift is prompting construction unions to partner with major tech companies to create more jobs and open apprenticeship pathway programs.

Spotlight PA highlights emerging economic partnerships and increasing opportunities for building and technology positions. 

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Philly Nonprofit Highlights local businesses on Market Street

A Philadelphia-based nonprofit Meantime is giving small business an opportunity to showcase in vacant retail spaces.

These temporary leases allow for small businesses to operate in parts of the city they might not otherwise be able to consider.

The spaces are also used to bolster community connections and local economic development. 

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New Philly Economic Partnership Aims to Reverse ‘Sluggish’ Economy

A recent report by Brookings Research found that a lack of economic coordination has resulted in Philadelphia falling behind other cities’ economies, costing the area thousands of jobs.

This month, The Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership (GPGP), a new regional business coalition has launched to help reverse the last few years of stalled job growth and increase regional competitiveness.

The partnership encompasses five counties, and will focus on creating more job opportunities, primarily in areas considered underdeveloped. 



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When Economic Skill Gaps Emerge and Where Intervention Can Make a Difference 

The Student Upward Mobility Initiative (SUMI) is an ongoing project that identifies which economically valuable skill groups drive wages for adults 25 and older.

Early findings report a pattern between students of certain demographics and skill gaps.

This article discusses how to find these skill groups and gaps between students, as well as how to effectively use interventions to cultivate skills and opportunities across student groups.  



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The US Affordable Housing Crisis Isn’t Just a Supply Problem

Although supply is a major component of the United States housing affordability crisis, deeper structural issues such as inequality, financial barriers, and zoning laws also contribute.

Building more housing units will not create a sustainable solution without considering the low- and middle-income households most in need of accessibility.

Bloomberg explores how policy and regulatory reforms can be used to target housing investments and increase accessible housing solutions. 

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Tracking the Labor Market and Jobs

Monitoring the labor market is crucial for understanding the economy and shifts in job demand.

Using previous works from the Hamilton Project’s initiative on explaining and documenting changes in the labor market, Brookings Research is launching the data interactive tracking the labor market and jobs tool.

This tool is updated twice monthly and will track labor force participation, employment trends, and sort labor market aspects by indicators such as age, education, race/ethnicity, and family/disability status.  



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