The CRER has released its Spring 2025 forecast of employment growth in the Chattanooga Metropolitan Statistical Area for 2025 and 2026. The forecast represents a downgrade that is due partly to revisions of recent job growth, but primarily to the softened national outlook in the wake of the tariff plans unveiled on April 2nd. The…
4/7/25: How Will Trump’s Tariffs Affect the Chattanooga Area Economy?
Stock prices hit bear market territory and Channel 3 had a story about what it might mean and how people should react. CRER director Howard Wall gave his perspective. “But Howard Wall, University of Tennessee Chattanooga Director of the Center for Regional Economic Research, says a bear market is more than just a financial event…
4/4/25: Economy Expert Says Local Businesses Could Be Impacted By Trump Tariffs
Channel 3 News in Chattanooga had a story on President Trump’s tariffs and how they might affect the local economy. CRER director Howard Wall was featured and said that “The people who are going to be effected the most are households who are going to be paying much higher prices for some goods. Thousands of…
4/1/25: Liberation Day Tariffs: What’s at Stake for Students
The UTC student paper, University Echo, had a story about how President Trump’s tariff might affect students. CRER director Howard Wall said that tariffs are paid almost entirely by Americans and will result in higher prices for many things that students buy. Wall also warned about the broader effects in the event the tariffs spur…
3/29/25: Union Membership in Tennessee Declines 20%, Federal Data Says
CRER director Howard Wall commented on the reasons why union membership in Tennessee might have fallen 20 percent in just a year’s time: Looking at the numbers, Wall said fewer jobs in highly unionized industries — such as government service or manufacturing — could lead to a decline in the overall rate of unionization. Last…