Tennessee's Job Gains Bypass Latinos

http://tinyurl.com/7bgnhpv 

"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."

[Tennessean]

Opry Mills to Benefit Jobless Rate

http://tinyurl.com/3e5v3l5
From the Tennessean: "The dramatic impact here of Opry Mills' reopening would be sparked because the 3,000 new jobs would end up putting an additional 1,500 people to work through indirect jobs, meaning a total of 4,500 jobs pumped into the labor market, said Arik, associate director of the Business and Economic Research Center at MTSU."

MTSU Research Cited by Atlanta Fed

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's blog Southpoint cited BERC research in its post "Confidence Improving in the Region": "As an aside and a plug for our friends at MTSU's Business & Economic Research Center, see their heat maps of Tennessee's employment picture. They also provide similar maps for major state metro areas, including Nashville."

Nashville Economy Rebounded Well from Recession

http://tinyurl.com/3yvq7on - From the Tennessean: "David Penn, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University who studies the local economy, said Nashville did worse than other metro areas during the recession because of its heavy dependence on automobile manufacturing, which took a huge hit. However, ... the local employment picture offers contradictory snapshots. One measurement of employment that relies on surveys of employers continues to show a decline. Another, used by the Brookings Institution, makes calls to households. It says the area is gaining jobs. It may be that some employers are not putting additional workers on the permanent payroll, but more people are working contract jobs or as freelancers."