Eller Economic and Business Research Center Director Cited in The Wall Street Journal

George Hammond, director of the Economic and Business Research Center in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, was cited in a September 18 Wall Street Journal article on current unemployment rates across the nation.

The article explains that northeastern and western states are seeing high jobless rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas the Midwest and South are experiencing lower unemployment rates than usual. In some states, like Arizona, this decline in the unemployment rate has been caused by people dropping out of the labor force. 

“Unfortunately, that kind of decline in the unemployment rate does not signal an improvement in our labor market,” the article reads, citing Hammond. “In fact, it suggests that the state is still really struggling with the economic fallout from the pandemic.”

Hammond directs the Economic and Business Research Center in the Eller College of Management. Hammond has designed, built and used economic models to produce forecasts for state and local economies and completed regional economic studies on topics including economic and workforce development and the impact of higher education on human capital accumulation. His academic research focuses on the determinants of local economic growth in the U.S. and the impact of state and local policies on economic growth.