1. Michael D. Goodman, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Chair Department of Public Policy UMass Dartmouth Co-Editor, MassBenchmarks May 28, 2014 What is going on in the economy and what does it mean for SE Mass?

2. On the one hand…

3. Consumer balance sheets are much improved

4. Massachusetts has finally recovered its peak dot-com bubble era employment levels

5. And the state economy has grown robustly of late

6. On the other hand…

7. In Massachusetts, in 2013, the annual average unemployment rate was: 15.8 percent for workers under 25 years old. 20.1 percent for those with less than a high school education. The rising tide is not lifting all boats Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Current Population Survey

8. The jobs recovery has been regionally imbalanced

9. So has the housing recovery… Source: 2014 Economic Report of the President; Boston Globe

10. The state population is growing slowly and a large generational shift is well underway

11. Southeastern Massachusetts is no exception Source: Population Estimates Program, UMass Donahue Institute