Research Matters – C2ER/LMI Institute September 18, 2025

Research Matters - Bi-Weekly Update

September 18, 2025 | Diana Romero

September 18, 2025

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Bring Your Ideas to Memphis: Submit a Proposal for the 66th Annual Conference

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The 66th C2ER + LMI Institute Annual Conference will take place in Memphis in June 2026, and proposals are now being accepted.

This is your chance to share your expertise, highlight innovative practices, and contribute to the national conversation on workforce and economic development research.

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Submit your proposal by September 30, 2025!

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More Information

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Submit a Proposal

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Why Intermediate R Matters for Regional Researchers?

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November 19 – 20, 2025

Arlington, VA

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If you’ve already got the basics of R down and you’re ready to do more with your data, this fall’s training is your next step.

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From Raw Data to Regional Insights: Intermediate R Tools for Workforce & Economic Development is designed for C2ER and LMII members who want to sharpen their skills, moving beyond simple scripts and into smarter workflows for cleaning, visualizing, and mapping public data. You’ll get hands-on practice with packages like ggplot2, tidycensus, and dplyr, and learn how to pull Census and BLS data straight into your code.

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This workshop is built for folks who’ve opened RStudio, written a few lines, and are ready to advance your analysis game.

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You’ll walk away with real code, real confidence, and a better sense of how to use R to explore labor market trends and build visuals that actually land. Whether you’re looking to streamline your analysis or make your plots pop, this course will help you get there, with plenty of support along the way.

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Meet Your Instructor: Yifan Wang

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Yifan Wang is a Research Economist at the New Jersey Department of Labor, where she turns big datasets into smart policy insights. She’s an expert in applied econometrics and causal inference and uses R to explore how trade and tech shape the labor market. Yifan holds a Ph.D. in Economics and brings a practical, approachable style to teaching data science.

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Ready to dig in? Join us!

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Agenda Information

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News & Reports

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Headlines

Bureau of Labor Statistics – Unemployment Rate Increases in the First Half of 2024, Before Leveling Off, While the Labor Force Participation Rate Holds Fairly Steady
CBS News – The U.S. Is Losing Thousands of Manufacturing Jobs, Analysis Finds
Census Bureau – The Cost of Homeownership Continues to Rise
Entreworks Consulting – Thinking Bigger About Workforce Development
Washington Post – Why It’s the Toughest Time to Be Searching for Work in America in Years (Paywall)

Reports – From Our Members

Brookings Metro – Good Data, Stronger Tribes: Overcoming Native American Data Challenges in Southern California
Smart Incentives – The Evolving Landscape of State Incentives
University of Missouri: MU Extension – Neurodivergence in the Workforce
W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research – Abundance Strategies Should Promote Abundant Jobs in Distressed Places
W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research – Is the Producer Price Index Signaling a Coming Rise in Consumer Inflation?

Reports – Non-members

Anthropic – Economic Index Report: Uneven Geographic and Enterprise AI Adoption
Brookings – To Prepare Young People for the AI Workplace, Focus On the Fundamentals
Lightcast – Both/And: Why Multiple Data Sources Lead to Better Labor Market Decisions
New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. (NJMEP) – 2025 State of New Jersey Manufacturing Industry Report
USAFacts- America in Facts 2025
WalletHub – Happiest States in America (2025)

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Have a report you’d like to share?

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ICYMI

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Southern Business and Development – Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame – Volume 2

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Data Visualization

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Charted: Salary by Education Level in the United States

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Careers

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Have an open position that might be of interest to C2ER members?

Let us post your job listing!

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Send the position title, description, and any other relevant information to Jennifer Gual.

Jobs are typically posted within 1 business day and postings remain active for 45 days if no closing date is specified.

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Our Events

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Basic LMI Analyst Training

(5 seats left)

October 14 – 15, 2025

Sacramento, CA

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From Raw Data to Regional Insights: Intermediate R Tools for Workforce & Economic Development

November 19 – 20, 2025

Arlington, VA

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C2ER Member Only Webinar

CERP Presentation: Building Tomorrow’s Tech Workforce in Northern Virginia

November 19, 2025

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET

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2026 C2ER + LMI Institute Conference

June 17 – 19, 2026

Memphis, TN

Save The Date

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eLearning Courses

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Foundations of Economic Development Research I: Introduction to Data Sources

Any Place, Any Time

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Foundations of Economic Development Research II: Introduction to Regional Analysis Methods

Any Place, Any Time

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Basic LMI Analyst eLearning

Any Place, Any Time

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Industry Events

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78th Annual AUBER Fall Conference

The New Geography of U.S. Growth

October 4 – 7, 2025

Missoula, MT

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University Economic Development Association

Launching Partnerships for Prosperity: 2025 UEDA Summit

October 6 – 8, 2025

Huntsville, AL

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ASSA 2026 Annual Meeting

January 3 – 5, 2026

Philadelphia, PA

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Follow us on social media!

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