Regional Data Connections – Cohort I Descriptions and Summaries

North Carolina

Problem/Opportunity

North Carolina identified three challenges of increasing complexity:

• Communication gaps: In a large, diverse state, ensuring effective and timely communication between LMI staff and busy workforce board staff is challenging but manageable.
• Customized data products: Boards have diverse needs for data reports in high-quality print and digital formats. Developing tailored products requires scoping and iteration.
• Data suppression: BLS data is frequently suppressed at the sub-state geography or industry level due to federal confidentiality requirements, forcing boards to purchase expensive private data tools (e.g., Lightcast, Chmura/JobsEQ). This is North Carolina’s most pressing and difficult challenge.

Targeted Support Needed

• Facilitated peer learning with states that have developed effective LMI communication strategies.
• Technical assistance to scope a modeled or synthetic data product to fill geographic and industry-detail gaps.
• Structured facilitator and peer feedback on prioritization and action planning.

Definition of Success

A concrete, prioritized action plan including: a documented communication strategy; at least one customized report format in development; and a defined approach (with identified partners) for addressing data suppression gaps.

What North Carolina Contributes to Other States’ Learning

North Carolina is a leading state in LMI product innovation. It can share communications strategies, a modeled QCEW-based employment series, and a new application powered by the state’s Workforce Information Database (WID).

What North Carolina Hopes to Learn

Approaches from other states on communication strategies, customized tools, and methodologies for producing data not constrained by BLS suppression requirements.