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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Teri Ooms, executive director of The Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development at Wilkes University, said based on discussion, it was decided that there were several education and workforce related sections in the economic competitiveness report that should be elevated to their own research brief and that several areas were not addressed.
				Ooms said in June 2019, the Education & Workforce Development (Ed/WFD) and Jobs, Economy, & Economic Development (JEED) Task Forces met to discuss the release of the Economic Competitiveness report presented at Indicators 2019 and to identify a research agenda for the 2019-2020 year.
				&ldquo;It was determined at that time that this upcoming year&rsquo;s research should again be a joint effort because of the nature of the two task forces is inextricably linked especially since there was a workforce shortage at the time that was predicted to last at least two decades,&rdquo; Ooms said.
				Ooms said the following sections of the report have been developed into standalone research briefs:
				&#8226; Skills Shortages
				&#8226; Labor Demand
				&#8226; Industrial Automation
				&#8226; Comparative Analysis of Job Opportunities and Higher Education Completions
				She said the following new briefs were developed in the fall 2019-winter 2020 time frame:
				&#8226; Rethinking the Senior Worker
				&#8226; Adapting to the Millennial Worker & Beyond
				&#8226; Soft Skills & the Workforce
				&#8226; Rethinking the Trades &#8211; Regional Opportunities
				&ldquo;With the recent economic challenges of the current pandemic, some of this research reflects economic circumstances that have been upended, at least in the short-term,&rdquo; Ooms said. &ldquo;However, it should be noted that the data serve as a pre COVID-19 baseline in order for us to evaluate changes.
				&ldquo;Further, as we move through recovery and reach February 2020 economic activity, the labor shortage may be center stage again. Therefore, the information outlined in these briefs is pertinent and gives employers an opportunity to plan for the future in a more informed and thoughtful way.&rdquo;

Introduction: The Institute’s Economic Competitiveness Report