The District economic outlook : responding to labor shortages and overseas problems

The Tenth District economy slowed down in 1998, with employment growing marginally below the national average. Despite very tight labor markets, employment growth remained healthy in many sectors. Construction; trade; transportation, communications, and public utilities; and finance, insurance, and real estate---all posted healthy gains. The manufacturing and service sectors, however, turned in weak growth, a result of the Asian financial turmoil and a shortage of skilled workers throughout the district. District agriculture had a difficult year, as commodity prices plunged in the face of rising supplies and weakening demand. A large aid package from Congress late in the year prevented farm incomes from being considerably less than in 1997.> Gazel and Wilkerson discuss why the district economy is likely to slow further in 1999, growing only modestly compared with the recent past. The expected slowdown of the national economy, continued economic weakness in the rest of the world, and very tight labor markets throughout the district are all likely to play major roles in the district economic slowdown. Some sectors of the district economy, such as manufacturing and mining, are likely to be hurt more than others in the near future. The service sector is likely to repeat its weak 1998 performance, while a reduction in consumer spending will slow growth in retail and wholesale trade in 1999. Construction activity may weaken a bit in 1999, and the district farm economy is likely to face a difficult year unless the government acts to further boost subsidies.Federal Reserve District, 10th ; Economic conditions - United States ; Employment (Economic theory) ; Labor supply

What's hampering job growth in the District's services sector?

Employment growth in the Tenth District has fallen behind the national rate in 1999 for the first time in ten years. Although all economic sectors have been experiencing slower job growth, the services sector, due to its size, has played perhaps the most important role in the slowdown of overall employment growth in the district. While services employment elsewhere in the nation continues to grow rapidly, the district has witnessed very little job expansion in services so far in 1999 (Chart 1). In fact, the district services sector has added jobs during the first seven months of this year at less than a third of the rate enjoyed by the nation as a whole.Employment (Economic theory) ; Service industries ; Federal Reserve District, 10th

The impact of the Brazilian crisis in the Tenth District

The recent economic turmoil in Brazil, triggered by the devaluation in January of the "real" (Brazil's currency), has understandably created concern about how the United States will be affected. This article looks at the possible impacts in the Tenth District and finds that, at least for now, there is little need for concern. The article is divided into three sections: an explanation of the crisis and its overall potential for harm, a brief discussion of the direct impact on district producers, and a more thorough analysis of the indirect ways a spread of the crisis could affect manufacturing and agriculture in the region.Brazil

Will tightness in Tenth District labor markets result in economic slowdown?

Labor markets in the Tenth District are tighter now than at any time in recent memory. The steady fall of unemployment rates in recent years has led many analysts to wonder if future economic growth in the region could be restricted by labor shortages. The district's labor market is actually even tighter than suggested by its unemployment rate of less than 4 percent in 1998 due to the presence of two other significant, but often overlooked, factors: high labor force participation rates and slowing domestic migration flows.> The labor force participation rate, meaning roughly the percentage of the working-age population that is actively taking part in the labor force, has been increasing rapidly in the district this decade and is now well above the national rate. This means the district is likely to have a more difficult time drawing new workers from its own population in the future. Likewise, the district has suffered in recent years from smaller net migration flows from the rest of the country after several years of strong gains following the 1990-91 recession. Thus, at a time when district labor markets need to be drawing more workers from other parts of the country, the flow of new workers is actually drying up.> Gazel and Wilkerson explore whether the growth of jobs in the district is likely to be hampered by slower growth in the labor supply in the presence of tight labor markets. They find that the district's extremely low unemployment rate, combined with a record level of labor force participation and diminishing migration inflows, does indeed reflect an economy that is likely to suffer from slow labor supply growth in the near future.Federal Reserve District, 10th ; Labor market ; Employment (Economic theory)

PETROGRAPHIC AND STRATIGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ALONG THE LOWER CRETACEOUS STRATA, IN KIMBLE COUNTY TEXAS

The upper Trinity Group is predominantly a carbonate system with minor clastic couplets that were deposited during the Middle Cretaceous in the south Llano Uplift region. The upper Trinity Group was deposited on a southward dipping platform in the Kimble County area. Stratigraphic units of the upper Trinity Group are the Hensel Formation, determined to be supratidal claystones, the Glen Rose Formation, which are mudstones that were deposited in a carbonate lagoon, and the Walnut and Fort Terrett formations, which are wackestones to packstones interpreted to have been deposited on a shallow carbonate shelf. Nine stratigraphic sections were measured along Interstate 10 and U.S Highway 377 in Kimble County, Texas to analyze the lithostratigraphic, sequence stratigraphic, petrographic, and paleotologic deposition. Three sequences were determined based on disconformites. The Upper Hensel Formation contact with the Lower Glen Rose Formation is based on the uppermost red bed of the Hensel Formation, forming Sequence 1. Sequence 2 begins at the mudstones atop of the Hensel Formation and end at the burrowed mudstone unit, this sequence represents the Glen Rose Formation. Sequence 3 extends from claystones atop of the burrowed limestone of the Glen Rose Formation and terminates at the disconformable contact with the Fort Terrett Formation, representing the Walnut Formation. Petrographic evidence indicates that marine diagenesis is prevalent. Common bivalves in the area were Ceratostreon texanum, which are index fossils for the Walnut Formation and provided substantial evidence for the placement of the Walnut Formation in Kimble County, Texas

PETROGRAPHIC AND STRATIGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ALONG THE LOWER CRETACEOUS STRATA, IN KIMBLE COUNTY TEXAS

The upper Trinity Group is predominantly a carbonate system with minor clastic couplets that were deposited during the Middle Cretaceous in the south Llano Uplift region. The upper Trinity Group was deposited on a southward dipping platform in the Kimble County area. Stratigraphic units of the upper Trinity Group are the Hensel Formation, determined to be supratidal claystones, the Glen Rose Formation, which are mudstones that were deposited in a carbonate lagoon, and the Walnut and Fort Terrett formations, which are wackestones to packstones interpreted to have been deposited on a shallow carbonate shelf. Nine stratigraphic sections were measured along Interstate 10 and U.S Highway 377 in Kimble County, Texas to analyze the lithostratigraphic, sequence stratigraphic, petrographic, and paleotologic deposition. Three sequences were determined based on disconformites. The Upper Hensel Formation contact with the Lower Glen Rose Formation is based on the uppermost red bed of the Hensel Formation, forming Sequence 1. Sequence 2 begins at the mudstones atop of the Hensel Formation and end at the burrowed mudstone unit, this sequence represents the Glen Rose Formation. Sequence 3 extends from claystones atop of the burrowed limestone of the Glen Rose Formation and terminates at the disconformable contact with the Fort Terrett Formation, representing the Walnut Formation. Petrographic evidence indicates that marine diagenesis is prevalent. Common bivalves in the area were Ceratostreon texanum, which are index fossils for the Walnut Formation and provided substantial evidence for the placement of the Walnut Formation in Kimble County, Texas

Acoustic Emission Monitoring of the DC-XA Composite Liquid Hydrogen Tank During Structural Testing

The results of acoustic emission (AE) monitoring of the DC-XA composite liquid hydrogen tank are presented in this report. The tank was subjected to pressurization, tensile, and compressive loads at ambient temperatures and also while full of liquid nitrogen. The tank was also pressurized with liquid hydrogen. AE was used to monitor the tank for signs of structural defects developing during the test

On the generation of ocean wind waves as inferred from airborne radar measurements of fetch-limited spectra

A section of sea surface that had been subjected to a constant offshore wind was profiled by using an airborne radar-wave profiler. The profiles extended seaward from the coast for a distance of 350 km . From these data, estimates of the spectrum of encounter of the sea surface were obtained for different fetch lengths...

KINETIC AND KINEMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF IMPACTS FROM VARIOUS HEIGHTS EXPERIENCED BY CHILDREN

In 1977, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission reported treatment of93,000 children in emergency rooms for injuries sustained on playgrounds. By 1986, the number had risen to over 200,000 and 70 percent ofthese cases were falls from equipment onto various play surfaces (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1986). In addition to free play activities, today's youth are also experiencing acute injuries from single impact trauma during organized sports (Micheli, 1986)

On Observers’ Conjunctive Attributions and Blame for Workplace Mistreatment

This essay reflects on the need for more research to address observers’ perspectives and reactions when witnessing or hearing about workplace mistreatment. After describing workplace mistreatment with respect to a behavioral spectrum ranging from incivility to violence, this essay focuses on observers’ causal attributions and blame for workplace mistreatment. We relate observers’ conjunctive causal attributions to multifocus blame that positions the organization as decidedly more blameworthy than typical research in a traditional causal attribution paradigm would suggest. We also offer some suggestions for future research that is more responsive to observers’ blame for workplace mistreatment