Census Bureau Statistics in Action: Local Employment Dynamics Partnership Workshop

“National Perspective, Local Data” is the theme for the 2016 Local Employment Dynamics Partnership Annual Workshop to be hosted by the U.S. Census Bureau March 7-8, in Washington, D.C. The workshop will feature several sessions using the latest local employment dynamics data products including Job-to-Job Flows, a set of new statistics on worker flows across jobs. Topics range from the competitiveness of the Michigan construction industry, to gentrification in Portland, Ore., neighborhoods, to the local economic impact of building stadiums and sports arenas.

The workshop brings together key stakeholders, including state labor market information directors, data analysts and data providers at state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses and other data users of local employment dynamics data products. Researchers will discuss the latest product enhancements to discover how their peers are using the data to learn about the research that will shape future improvements. The workshop also features smaller group training sessions to introduce new users to the data.

Keynote speakers at this year’s workshop are DJ Patil, the first U.S. chief data scientist, and Sandra Black, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers. Other highlights of the workshop include a demonstration of Census Business Builder, a segment on the 2020 Census, work from the American Community Survey and the economic census, and an opportunity to view data tools from other federal agencies that use Census Bureau data.

The Local Employment Dynamics program is a collaborative data-sharing partnership between state data agencies and the Census Bureau with the goal of using existing data to produce new statistics on the U.S. economy. Each year the Census Bureau hosts this workshop for their partners and the public. Now in its 17th year, this workshop has been a key component in strengthening the voluntary partnership and updating the public on the availability of new statistics.

Here is a snapshot of the Census Bureau data products and tools that will be highlighted during the conference:

• Job-to-Job Flows is a new set of beta statistics providing data on workers switching industries, migrating across state lines and moving in and out of employment. A data tool is being developed.
• Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) measures demands and trends in hiring, job turnover, earnings, industries and age in the workforce and how they may be related to one another. QWI Explorer and the LED Extraction Tool allow users to easily compare, rank and collect workforce data across time and geography.
• LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) data connect where workers work with where they live. LODES statistics are available through the OnTheMap and OnTheMap for Emergency Management tools. OnTheMap gives a brief overview of commuting patterns of workers and identifying small-area to large-area workforce characteristics. OnTheMap for Emergency Management identifies workforce demographics and population affected by natural events such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods and heavy snow falls.

The workshop is free and open to the public. To register and for more information, visit the conference registration site. To view materials from previous workshops, visit here. Space is limited, so we recommend registering as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the workshop, please call 301-763-8303, or email: ces.local.employment.dynamics@census.gov.

Earlene Dowell, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Program, Center for Economic Studies