Chmura Blog

Introduction As the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) marks 100 years of leadership in economic development , the challenge facing communities today looks very different than it did even a few years ago.

This week highlights National Small Business Week and brings into focus the dependence of small business growth on workforce realities.

JobsEQ will soon be introducing a new Living Wage analytic to help firms and organizations determine wages that help workers in their regions afford their basic necessities. As the affordability crisis continues to weigh on lower-income workers, it is becoming increasingly necessary to make sure that workers receive an income that can support themselves and families.

If you pay close attention to our Weekly Economic Update, you may have noticed that we have been closely monitoring the economic implications of the war in Iran. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions to global energy supply chains are having outsized impacts on Asia, which includes important U.S. trading partners that import most of their energy from the Middle East.

As the war in Iran continues to shock the energy supply chain, a global helium shortage is emerging as an unforeseen consequence. Helium, a byproduct of natural gas processing, is an important input to such end uses as semiconductor production, aerospace manufacturing, welding, machining, cryogenics, and MRI machines. [1]

With the federal government shut down since October 1, 2025, crucial data releases have been delayed, which businesses and policymakers rely on to assess growth strategies and workforce needs. In addition, since the 2020 pandemic, response rates for surveys conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) have been in decline, leading to large data revisions and hurting public confidence in the …

In addition to the state level update , Chmura is on track to update its 2Q quarterly estimates at the local and MSA level as scheduled.

Some of the current administration’s actions such as tariffs, laying off federal workers, and slashing spending in some agencies seem arbitrary and haphazard. Whether or not you agree with these policies, as an economist I see the policies as a means to potentially address long-standing structural issues with the U.S. economy. We Americans like to purchase goods and services, especially cheap goo…

The Long Road Without JobsEQ Several years ago, I was tasked with estimating Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Healthcare (STEM-H) employment and job demand for a nine-county region in Wisconsin. Because of the circumstances of the contract, we couldn’t use JobsEQ. Instead, I had to build the analysis from scratch. That meant: Comparing multiple public data sources, including Quarterly …