Southwest Economy Archive

• April 1, 2022
  Students cut college during pandemic; their return is uncertain

  Wenhua Di and Mytiah Caldwell

  Postsecondary institutions suddenly closed their doors with the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020. Two years later, the impacts are coming into focus.
• April 1, 2022
  Shale oil boom gave Permian Basin a second life

  Jesse Thompson

  We look back a decade ago as Southwest Economy told of the rebirth of the Permian Basin as part of the shale oil boom in “Permian Basin Booms as New Techniques Resurrect Old Sites.”
• April 1, 2022
  Turbulent economy tests Texans who lack financial knowledge

  Emma Marshall, Pia Orrenius and Michael Weiss

  Texans continue to trail the nation in financial literacy as measured by the National Financial Capability Study. The Legislature has taken steps to enhance personal finance instruction in a bid to improve performance.
• April 1, 2022
  Cross-border manufacturing rises from pandemic lows
  Fabiola Luna, president of the Association of Maquiladoras, Index Ciudad Juárez, dicusses cross-border trade and the impact of the pandemic.
• April 1, 2022
  New Mexico marijuana legalization’s costs, benefits remain unclear

  Keighton Hines and Pia Orrenius

  New Mexico legalized recreational marijuana use last year, joining 17 other states. Anticipated benefits and costs partially offset one another, but there is considerable uncertainty around both.
• April 1, 2022
  Texas reclaims jobs lost in pandemic; some metros still trying to catch up

  Juliette Coia and Pia Orrenius

  The recovery from the pandemic recession ushered in a massive reallocation of employment between industries with repercussions for different areas of the state.
• December 17, 2021
  Pandemic, remote learning undo STAAR test gains; Texas student scores slide

  Design: Justin Chavira, Olumide Eseyin; Content: Christopher Slijk, James Lee

  Hispanic and Black students’ scores on the 2021 exam fell more than those of white students and reversed previous years' gains.
• 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.