[020] MTSU RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY EXTENT OF UNDEREMPLOYED LABOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. David Penn, 615-904-8571; Dr. Murat Arik, 615-898-
5424

MTSU RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY EXTENT OF UNDEREMPLOYED LABOR
Business and Economic Research Center Study to Encompass Seven-County Area

(MURFREESBORO) – The Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at MTSU will conduct a study to determine the population of the underemployed in a seven-county area of middle Tennessee, a project that could help prospective employers target the labor they need.
Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Moore and Warren counties will be included in the study, which will be funded with a grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The primary goal of this study is to identify the number of underemployed and their characteristics in the seven-county study area. In the coming weeks, researchers working on behalf of MTSU will be conducting a phone survey of area residents to measure the extent of underemployment.
“Overall, the results of this study will be an excellent resource for the local governments as they recruit new employers to their counties,” says Dr. Murat Arik, BERC Associate Director. “The availability of the labor force for a particular business operation is at the top of concerns in business relocation and expansion decisions. Official ‘unemployment’ figures often are not a useful metric to determine the availability of labor.”
Arik says the study will help the region in three distinct ways.
“First, the region will be able to attract new businesses by demonstrating that the region has enough supply of qualified workforce,” says Arik. “Second, identifying and addressing the causes of underutilization will help the study-area economy create a sustainable growth. Third, identifying and addressing workforce skill-related issues means better-paying jobs and job satisfaction for the area workforce.”
The researchers appreciate, in advance, the assistance of area households in completing this important project. For more information, contact the BERC at 615-898-2610.