This is the last section of a four-part series that explores how population changes impact the Vermont economy. Previous posts explored the economic impacts of age composition, workforce participation and the age dependency ratios in Vermont. Part four considers how consumption rates impact the everyday economic life of Vermonters. Lifetime Consumption Patterns How we consume goods … Read more
Written by Amanda Van Vranken An Unbalanced Equation Chances are, you’ve heard about Vermont’s workforce gap. Simply put, the state’s supply of workers isn’t meeting the demand for existing and future jobs. The economy suffers when this workforce equation is out of balance. This is being experienced in real-time by employers that have multiple job … Read more
This is part two of a four-part series that explores how population changes impact key aspects of the Vermont economy. In part one we discussed the importance of age composition. This article looks deeper into how labor force participation impacts the everyday economic life of Vermonters. Labor force participation rate The labor force participation rate … Read more
A common economic saying predicts that “our destiny lies in our population trends.” Vermont’s population challenges have become apparent to anyone waiting for restaurant seating or for an appointment with an electrician. Some of this trend is due to early retirement by an older workforce, while other factors are also playing a role in the … Read more
Most will agree that our shared COVID-19 experience in 2020 has generated many questions about our community health. Likewise, it has unearthed many new questions about our Vermont economy as well. In 2020, the Vermont Futures Project had the opportunity for extensive discussions about the Vermont economy with a wide variety of business, non-profit, community, … Read more
The State of Vermont is facing a deep budget deficit due to the global pandemic. The Vermont Futures Project presents a white paper, Vermont’s Taxing Dilemma, to look beyond Vermont’s immediate circumstances to understand how our current taxation structures can either drive or inhibit long-term economic recovery and growth. Since its inception four years ago, … Read more
In 2019, the Vermont Futures Project began investigating ways to boost innovative business growth to address aging demographic challenges. A study was commissioned to determine the feasibility of creating an Innovation Technology Center to improve rural and elderly access to quality, sustainable care. Though the study, completed in April, was impacted by COVID-19, several key outcomes … Read more
Based on current Vermont research and data, the following graph portrays the reality of what a typical young family of three is experiencing living in Vermont. It is important to note that many of the Young Professionals (YPs) who attended the YP focus groups held college degrees and discussed college debt, childcare and taxes as … Read more
Montpelier, VT (October 24, 2019) The Vermont Futures Project announces recommendations to grow and sustain Vermont businesses with further development and additional support to enhance Vermont’s current innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. To secure our economic future, the Vermont Futures Project has identified the need to scale and grow Vermont’s mid-sized businesses, defined as having 20 … Read more
The Vermont Futures Project has now completed a two- part research project and recommendations to evaluate whether internships held during student’s time in Vermont colleges might provide a way to engage and retain these students following graduation. Last year, Phase I determined there is an ample supply of internships but our conversion rate to jobs … Read more