Speaking of the Economy

In this episode, Sarah Gunn, the Richmond Fed's district outreach manager for workforce pathways, provides an overview of the topic. We also hear from three conference speakers: Alexander Ruder, assistant vice president on the Atlanta Fed's Community and Economic Development team; Julianne Dunn, director of workforce and financial prosperity at Rural LISC; and Melana Howe, corporate liaison and apprenticeship coordinator for Lake Region State College.

The ways that rural communities improve the flow of capital was one of the topics covered at the 2026 Investing in Rural America Conference, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in partnership with the Federal Reserve System and Rural LISC.

Raj Chetty discusses his research on economic mobility and variations in how readily people can climb the income ladder, especially in rural communities. Chetty, an economics professor at Harvard University and director of Opportunity Insights, gave the keynote address at the Investing in Rural America Conference in September 2026.

Kyle DeMaria and Urvi Neelakantan talk about their recent research on people who work multiple jobs and what this segment of the labor market says about the overall economy.

Sarah Gunn describes an online tool developed by the Federal Reserve to help students explore their post-high school career and education options and choose the path that is best for them.

Andy Bauer and Renee Haltom share what they have learned through conversations with Fifth District businesses about consumer spending and how it has responded to cost increases and other economic headwinds.

John Haltiwanger discusses his work with the U.S. Census Bureau to improve the tracking of AI usage by workers and their employers. Haltiwanger, a professor of economics at the University of Maryland, shared this research during the August 2026 CORE Week held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Katarína Borovičková and Claudia Macaluso discuss their research on the long-term unemployed, including the factors like AI adoption that could be affecting the movement of people into and out of this employment status and the broader economic implications of these labor market flows.

Michael Newsome talks about what he has learned about apprenticeships from discussions with business and education leaders. As an illustration, Melissa Stowasser shares how Trident Technical College partnered with smaller employers to develop an apprenticeship program for the Charleston, S.C., region.

Erik Hurst discusses his research on the potential impacts of AI adoption on the labor market, in particular entry-level workers and their human capital development over time through the acquisition of new skills and knowledge.