By Lecia Parks Langston, Senior Economist
“The One with COVID-19”
If the recent economic downturn were an episode of Friends, it would be titled “The One with COVID-19.” The pandemic recession was unprecedented in modern history. The economic deterioration proved sudden, extreme and profound. More importantly, this downturn was not created by the variations of the business cycle, but resulted from public health directives aimed at curbing the spread of illness and death. Whether you call it a virus-cession or a pandemic recession, this economic downturn evidenced a unique pattern. More...
By Britnee Johnston, report author
The Tenth Annual Report on Intergenerational Poverty, Welfare Dependency and Public Assistance Use was released this week by the Intergenerational Welfare Reform Commission and marks a special 10-year milestone of collecting data and building awareness around Utahns living in poverty. Over the past decade, Utah has identified trends, which has guided various organizations in developing plans and improving programs to help families break the cycle of poverty.
The full report can be viewed here.
This report builds upon years of multi-agency partnerships and collective efforts to provide insightful data about individuals and families experiencing intergenerational poverty (IGP). This includes a comprehensive look at annual child well-being data indicators in early childhood development, education, family economic stability, and health. More...
By Michael Jeanfreau, Regional Economist
Across the nation, 2021 has largely been a year of recovery, with many industries experiencing growth back toward their pre-pandemic numbers. As we try to find a new normal¹ amidst ongoing pandemic concerns, there’s a general recognition that a few things may have permanently altered. For example, our way of interacting with the job market has been disrupted. Teleworking has become prevalent, increasing the demand for groceries and their delivery, and savings rates increased.² How does this new demand affect our expectations for jobs going forward?
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