Wichita State News: CEDBR

CEDBR releases July Leading and Current Index for Wichita

Fri, 12 Jul 2013 14:00:00 CST

The July Wichita State University Current Conditions and Leading Economic Index are now available at www.index.CEDBR.org.

The current index is down 0.6 percent from April to May, and the current economic activity is 0.3 percent higher than it was in May of 2012.

Although total non-farm employment has improved over the past year, the level of employment in the Wichita area decreased by 1,400 workers between April and May, resulting in a higher unemployment rate. Additionally the hours and earnings of production workers decreased.

The leading index has also declined from April to May, by 0.18 percent. This indicates that economic activity is not anticipated to be higher in the late fall than the current level of economic activity in the Wichita area. This can be attributed to a decline in the Kansas Leading Index for both April and May.

The data for the Kansas leading index was revised by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia on July 2. The combined deterioration of the Aircraft Production Index and the Kansas Leading Index were only slightly offset by mild improvements in the other two index components.

WSU's Center for Economic Development and Business Research has compiled the current and leading indices to provide insights into the present and future state of the Wichita economy.

The WSU Current Conditions Index is designed to give an indication of the present conditions of the Wichita metropolitan area economy. The WSU Leading Economic Indicators Index is designed to give an indication of where the Wichita economy is headed over the next six months.

Wichita State CEDBR provides market research services, reports

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 11:00:00 CST

The Center for Economic Development and Business Research provides customized market research to government, businesses and nonprofit agencies across Kansas.

Market research reports include analyses that help provide a better understanding of competitors, market trends, consumer behaviors and the competitive landscape.

A market research report about the women's clothing store subsector in the Wichita MSA is currently available as an example of these services.

This information was compiled to help current retailers and potential new entrants in the subsector have a better understanding of their market, learn more about opportunities and challenges associated with the subsector, and make informed decisions.

Principal sources used for the report are the Kansas Department of Revenue, the U.S. Census Bureau, and IBISWorld.

If you would like to request a market research report or get more information, please visit research.cedbr.org, or email CEBDR's director, Jeremy Hill, at jeremy.hill@wichita.edu. The costs for these services are based on the scope of the project.

The women's clothing store market research report is available at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?2279.

New CEDBR research gives insight into local economy

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:55:00 CST

The June Wichita State University Current Conditions and Leading Economic Index are now available at www.index.CEDBR.org.

The current index is up 0.5 percent from March to April, due mostly from small improvements in total non-farm employment and the unemployment rate.

The leading index is up 0.4 percent from the March level. This can be attributed to an improvement in the Kansas Leading Index component.

WSU's Center for Economic Development and Business Research has compiled the current and leading indices to provide insights into the present and future state of the Wichita economy.

The WSU Current Conditions Index is designed to give an indication of the present conditions of the Wichita metropolitan area economy.

The WSU Leading Economic Indicators Index is designed to give an indication of where the Wichita economy is headed over the next six months.

WSU releases revised Wichita metropolitan area indices

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:30:00 CST

The Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University has compiled the current and leading indices to provide insights into the present and future state of the Wichita economy.

The WSU Current Conditions Index is designed to give an indication of the present conditions of the Wichita metropolitan area economy.

The WSU Leading Economic Indicators Index is designed to give an indication of where the Wichita economy is headed over the next six months.

Click here to read the full report.

Patenting activity on the rise in Kansas

Tue, 7 May 2013 08:41:00 CST

In 2012 there were 2,756 patents granted to inventors living in Kansas. This represented 1.90 patents per 1,000 workers, slightly below the national average of 1.96 patents per 1,000 workers.

Although the current level of patenting activity in Kansas is below the national average, the growth in patenting activity of 6.3 percent in Kansas between 1980 and 2012 was above the average annualized rate, among the states, of 5.3 percent.

The Wichita State University Center for Economic Development and Business Research has analyzed the Strumsky Patent Database of The Brookings Institution for each Metropolitan Statistical Area in Kansas.

Go here to read the full report.

WSU's Wichita Area Economic Outlook Conference set for Oct. 3

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:16:00 CST

Wichita State University will present Wichita's Economic Outlook 2012 Review and 2013 Forecast at the 34th Annual Wichita Area Economic Outlook Conference from 7:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Century II Convention Hall.

Jeremy Hill

Jeremy Hill, director of WSU's Center for Economic Development and Business Research, will be the main presenter.

The cost of the conference is $95, which includes breakfast.

Registration is not open yet. Check www.agenda.cedbr.org beginning June 1 for speaker and registration information.

For more detailed information, contact Jeremy Hill at 316-978-3225 or jeremy.hill@wichita.edu.

Hugo Wall School to host nonprofit policy summit

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:21:00 CST

Wichita State's Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs will host the annual Spring Nonprofit Policy Summit from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, at the Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

The summit will examine the changing demographics of Kansas and the implications for nonprofit organizations. There is no charge to attend.

To register, contact Gayle Martin at 978-6541 or gayle.martin@wichita.edu.

Go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?2075 to register online.

Jeremy Hill

Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research, will outline the demographic changes and additional panelists will discuss economic, social and cultural trends and effects on their nonprofit organizations.

Panelists are Charles Koeber, associate dean, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Teresa Rupp, executive director, ChildStart; and Annette Graham, Sedgwick County Department on Aging director.

Economic report: Local employment expected to grow

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:56:00 CST

Employment in Wichita and the United States as a whole has stabilized. And after exhibiting growth in the first half of the year, Wichita is poised to grow throughout the remainder of 2012.

That's according to the 2012 Wichita Economic Outlook, released today by Wichita State University's Center for Economic Development and Business Research.

For the complete report, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1868.

Power Point presentations from the conference can be seen at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1867.

Economic study: Kansas unemployment on the decline

Wed, 3 Oct 2012 02:00:00 CST

The Kansas unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in August 2012, 0.7 percent lower than the same month last year. That's according to the 2013 Kansas Economic Outlook, released by Wichita State's Center for Economic Development and Business Research.

This continues the general decline in unemployment rates that began after reaching a peak of 8.1 percent in July 2009.

Kansas employment is on track to increase 1 percent in 2012, with much of the job growth having occurred in the first eight months of the year. In 2013, Kansas employment is projected to increase 1.8 percent, gaining approximately 24,175 jobs.

Read the complete outlook.

Economic conference has new Facebook page

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:12:00 CST

Wichita State University's Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR) now has a Facebook page to promote the 33rd Annual Economic Outlook Conference.

"Like" CEDBR by Friday, June 8, for a chance to win a free ticket to the conference.

Speaker updates, past pictures and local polls will be added to the site as CEDBR prepares for this year's conference.

To view the page, go to http://www.facebook.com/WSU.CEDBR.

Population projections for all Kansas counties released

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:00:00 CST

Wichita State University's Center for Economic Development and Business Research has released online population projections by age cohort from 2010 through 2040 for all Kansas counties.

Two sets of population projections were completed to account for the unreliability of migration patterns. Migration patterns can change rapidly due to economic conditions, government policy or natural disasters.

Read the summary results, and see a spreadsheet with detailed projections.

Read the full story.

Economic Outlook Conference gains new sponsor

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:40:00 CST

Wichita State University's Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR) has announced that Grubb & Ellis | Martens Commercial Group will be a major sponsor and the exclusive commercial real estate provider for the Wichita Area Outlook Conference on Oct. 11 at Century II's Convention Center.

The conference is hosted annually by Wichita State's CEDBR.

Jeremy Hill

"This relationship makes sense because it gives the center better commercial real estate market data and insight," said Jeremy Hill, CEDBR director.

The commercial real estate market forecast prepared for the economic outlook conference will be included in a tabloid that will appear in The Wichita Eagle on the same day as the conference.

"In addition to providing the annual commercial real estate forecast, we will provide quarterly updates on market conditions that CEDBR will use as part of other services they deliver throughout the year," said Steve Martens, CEO, Grubb & Ellis | Martens Commercial Group.

"This is an exciting opportunity to partner with and promote the leading provider of business, economic and demographic information in the Midwest."

Wichita State releases updated employment forecasts

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:51:00 CST

The Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University has released updated Wichita Metropolitan Area and Kansas employment forecasts for 2012.

The regularly scheduled release includes actual employment data through November 2011 and includes the recent announcement that Boeing Co. plans to close its Wichita operations.

For the Wichita area, CEDBR is forecasting a 0.6 percent increase in employment for 2012, for a total gain of 1,735 jobs. The 2012 forecast has been revised downward because of the slower than expected national growth and continued unknowns in the local and global economy.

Wichita's forecast for 2012 indicates a year of continued stabilization.

For the full Wichita forecast, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1393.

As a state overall, the Kansas unemployment rate was 6 percent in November 2011. This continues the general decline in unemployment rates since mid-2009, after fluctuating a bit throughout 2011.

Kansas employment was expected to remain flat in 2011 when compared to 2010. Gains in the production and service sectors are expected to offset losses incurred in trade, transportation and utilities, as well as the government sectors.

The Kansas economy is expected to stabilize and begin growing at a modest pace. CEDBR estimates total employment growth of 1 percent, for a net increase of 13,010 employees, in 2012.

For the full Kansas forecast, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1394.

Audio comments are available at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1396.

2011 Kansas Economic Outlook: Employment still down

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:39:00 CST

National employment declined 0.8 percent in 2010. Year-over-year average annual employment grew a meager 0.4 percent in June 2011, and only modest gains are expected in 2012.

That's according to the 2011 Kansas Economic Outlook, just released by Wichita State University's Center for Economic Development and Business Research.

Continued unemployment claims remain well above average. Housing and mortgage markets continue to falter. And consumer confidence is waning.

Yet, individual businesses boast strong balance sheets and high profitability.

The mixed messages from national indicators cause many to question whether the great recession has ended. Local indicators have been equally confusing.

» Read the full report.

Elected officials find improving the economy a challenge

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:05:00 CST

This WSU Newsline Podcast is available at http://www.wichita.edu/newslinepodcast. See the transcript below:

You're listening to the podcast edition of the Wichita State University audio newsline. Learn more about WSU — the home of Thinkers, Doers, Movers and Shockers — on the Web at wichita.edu.

Winning an election is one thing, controlling spending and helping the economy is another. Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University, says elected officials get a dose of reality when they're in office.

Hill: "A lot of elected officials when they take office, they often want to go and affect the local economy, especially right now when it's of most importance. However, when they get in they actually will see that they have very little direct control over local spending and local budgets."

Elected officials who campaigned on change often find that change can be an elusive target.

Hill: "What we find is that local governments are not very nimble, but they're also not very rash. So what happens when the economy's growing really fast, governments tend to be much smaller than what citizens want. And when the economy is contracting, they're much larger than we want, which will put a strain on the local economy."

So what is an elected official to do? Hill talks about their main options.

Hill: "Elected officials' greatest power to affect the economy is actually setting the budget, that's not only looking at taxes and fees for services, but also what kind of spending they want the allocations. The problem is if you're newly elected, you actually will inherit the budget from the previous year."

"Elected officials' second greatest power to affect the economy is by discretionary decision-making. The problem is, a very little of the budget is discretionary. Most of the costs are in things like police services and jails."

So what kind of an impact can elected officials make initially? According to Hill, maybe not as much as you'd think.

Hill: "Decisions by elected officials have, in most part, a minor effect on the citizens' wallets immediately. Elected officials can cut their taxes and fees for services, for example, like water and sewer, but those savings take quite a while before citizens actually get the benefit."

When it comes to tackling the enormous deficits that are affecting our cities, counties, states and this country, some argue that we need politicians who are willing to lose their jobs at the ballot box in order to emphasize what he or she believes is right. At the very least, Hill says elected officials need to be able to make tough decisions.

Hill: "In my opinion, elected officials shouldn't be there to make friends, but to make tough decisions. To have a bigger impact on the economy, they should make decisions making good appointments to boards and committees, and make sure they get the right department heads and administrators that will make the sound decisions that affect the economy in a positive way."

And Hill says it's important for elected officials to listen to the citizens and balance their needs and wants.

Hill: "The most difficult thing for elected officials to do is to actually listen to the citizens and adjust the size of government to meet the needs and wants that they have. In a wealthier community, they may not want a reduction in parks and services, for example. But in a low income area, governments need to adjust, based on what is affordable."

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for Wichita State University.