In his acceptance speech at the GOP convention, Mitt Romney asked American voters “are you better off than you were four years ago when President Obama was elected?” The President responded with this: “we are absolutely better off than we were when I was sworn in and we were losing 800,000 jobs in a month.” “Better-off” can be measured in any number of ways, from mood to consumer-confidence. But job security is a good one.
Of course, your job security has a lot to do with what sector you work in. Let’s break it down: Continue Reading →
Are you better off than you were four years ago? We hope you’ll read our blogpost and check out this sweet infographic on the subject. But really, we want to hear from you.
What metric would you use to decide if you’re better off? Job security? Your mood? Your home’s value, or something else? Continue Reading →
Hurricane Sandy has brought commerce to a halt across a geographic area worth $10 billion annually in economic activity. Will it help the economy, or hurt it?
Some economists will say hurricanes like Sandy produce enough economic activity to create a net gain. But they may not be taking into consideration what is known as The Broken Window Fallacy. Continue Reading →
A team of researchers at the University of New Hampshire has announced a new economic tool — something they’ve been developing for almost 12 years. The Lodging Executive Sentiment Index, or LESI, is based on a monthly survey of 20 lodging executives who run more than 55 percent of all lodging rooms in the country.
“Lodging is known to be closely linked to the general economy,” writes E. Hachemi Aliouche and two coauthors, in the study upon which the index is based. Their study found that lodging executives’ expectations are not only an indication of the hospitality industry’s well-being, but “can be regarded as leading indicators for retail sales, employment, interest rates, and stock prices.” Continue Reading →
The Portsmouth Patch runs down the basic list of violations. Robert Cook writes:
“According to [Department of Labor spokesman Edmund] Fitzgerald, the biggest violations that Redhook committed that led to Harris’ death were:
…
The explosion resulted from excess pressure introduced into the keg from the keg cleanout line.
The cleanout line lacked an air regulator that would have limited its air pressure to below 60 pounds per square inch or PSI, the maximum air pressure limit recommended by keg manufacturers.
Other employees who used the cleanout line were exposed to the same hazard while cleaning out steel kegs.”
One of the more mysterious aspects of this accident was the presence of a plastic keg at the brewery in the first place. Continue Reading →
New Hampshire employers pay the 9th highest workers compensation premiums in the nation, according to a report from the Oregon Department of Consumer And Business Services. New Hampshire’s average premium of $2.40 per $100 of payroll is 128 percent of the national median. Click on the interactive map below, for more details.
New Hampshire can now add "baby crib manufacturer" to its eclectic list of Defense contractors
As we’ve frequently noted, New Hampshire’s economy heavily depends on Defense contracting. In the case of large defense-oriented companies like BAE Systems in Nashua, Elbit Systems of America in Merrimack, or GE Aviation in Hooksett, the connection is obvious. And, of course, there are a bevy of smaller high-tech components manufacturers that also benefit from catering to DOD’s needs.
A bipartisan group of politicians and businessmen are reaching out to ordinary Americans, asking them to bring homemade signs and banners to the polls in November (they suggest paint; stencil, or tape). Their goal? Get concerned grassroots organizers to pressure elected officials into finding a bipartisan solution to the impending fiscal cliff.
Former New Hampshire Governor Judd Gregg is a co-chair of the national organization, called Fix The Debt.
The organization was founded by the Clinton Administration’s SBA director Erskine Bowles, and former Senator Alan Simpson — authors of the failed bipartisan debt-reduction plan that came out of President Obama’s 18-member National Commission On Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which was formed in 2010. According to spokesman Jon Romano, Simpson and Bowles founded Fix The Debt as a response to the “unwillingness [of politicians] from both sides to come together.” “CEOs,” Romano says, “are saying this is hurting our business, our economy, and we need Congress to act.” Continue Reading →
Thumbtack is a kind of 21st century classifieds — like a beefed-up Craigslist. But they also occasionally publish infographics and interactive survey data. Their newest lets you compare the answers small business owners gave to questions about 2012 election issues, based on the following demographic filters:
Where they’re from (compare N.H. to national statistics)
Before you dash away from your desk for the weekend, here’s a bit of Friday afternoon refreshment: the top 5 posts from StateImpact this week. Continue Reading →
About StateImpact
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives. Learn More »
