This past week I had the opportunity to collaborate with twenty other rural superintendents across the nation, Hanover Research Group, and the AASA. The rural labor market has experienced shifts since the COVID 19 pandemic. The immediate disruptions impacted the workforce not just with unemployment rates but with changes of workforce participation. When labor force participation declines, percent employment change shows less recovery than changes in the unemployment rate. With these changes also came the shift of employment opportunities to growth in more service and knowledge-based industries. Remote work and shifts in industry trends pose a new challenges for rural communities and school districts.
Read more here.
RuralLaborMarketOverview22.pdf