Many business leaders from across Tennessee responded to the inaugural Boyd Center’s Business LeadersSurvey, providing a unique perspective on Tennessee and the nation’s economy. Responses were provided between August 12-20, which isa uniquely challengingtime in the nation’s economy because of COVID-19. Respondents, over half of whomare CEOs or company owners, represent a broad sample of Tennessee’s businesses, both by size and by industry.

Initial and continuing unemployment insurance claims are some of the only high-frequency data points on the U.S. labor market. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the weekly claims numbers have been a highly followed metric of economic damage. Close examination reveals clear errors in unemployment insurance claims numbers, making it hard to compare claims within and across states, and clouding our interpretation of national totals.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies more broadly are rapidly developing and changing the types of goods and services that people demand and the ways in which they are produced and received. As a result, employment in many industries and occupations is being disrupted. The transitions are likely to accelerate during the next decade, further affecting nearly every aspect of life and work.