Southwest Economy Archive

• December 15, 2021
  Southwest Economy, Fourth Quarter 2021
  This issue looks at increased migration to Texas during the pandemic and persisting joblessness in the state. Also included are a Q&A on current issues in the semiconductor industry and a spotlight on natural gas demand.
• December 15, 2021
  Largest Texas metros lure big-city, coastal migrants during pandemic

  Wenli Li and Yichen Su

  High-frequency data show that migration to Texas has accelerated during the pandemic. The emergence of working from home has lessened both workers’ and some companies’ reliance on physical offices, clearing the way for the new wave of mobility.
• December 15, 2021
  Texas joblessness persists above U.S. rate, weighing on black, Hispanic workers

  Anil Kumar

  While the gender unemployment gap has largely dissipated in Texas, the gaps between white workers and both Black and Hispanic workers have persisted above pre-COVID-19 levels.
• December 15, 2021
  Semiconductors key to global growth; geographic supply risks loom
  Tyson Tuttle, CEO of Silicon Labs in Austin, shares his insights on current issues in the semiconductor industry and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
• December 15, 2021
  Natural gas demand recovers, lifts prices

  Jesse Thompson

  Global demand for U.S. natural gas has risen as many pandemic-induced limits on economic activity have been lifted, but domestic production has only slowly recovered.
• September 30, 2021
  Southwest Economy, Third Quarter 2021
  This issue looks at renewable energy, and federal support and state budgets. Also included is a discussion on the pandemic, worker mobility and job training, a spotlight on biomedical trade on the border, and an infographic on the falling birth rates in Texas.
• September 30, 2021
  Once-oil-dependent Texas economy to keep growing as renewable energy expands

  Christopher Slijk and Keith R. Phillips

  The negative environmental impacts of global warming have motivated the beginnings of a global transition from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy.
• September 30, 2021
  Federal support keeps state budgets (including Texas’) healthy amid tumult from COVID-19-induced economic ills

  Jason Saving

  An unprecedented federal fiscal response to the COVID-19-induced recession in early 2020 helped prop up state government finances even among states whose tax and finance structures put them at particular risk during a downturn.
• September 30, 2021
  President’s perspective
  President Kaplan shares recent thoughts on excesses and imbalances, asset purchases and the federal funds rate, and supply/demand imbalances.
• September 30, 2021
  Technology displaced workers in pandemic; retraining must expand
  Tamar Jacoby, president of Opportunity America, discusses the pandemic, worker mobility and job training.