BRAC produces an economic indicator dashboard as part of our business recovery priorities. The dashboard examines and assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the regional economy, taking into account a number of data points to illustrate the economy’s current state, and to keep businesses informed as it begins to steady and rebound. Past dashboards are archived on brac.org/recovery.
Key findings from this week’s dashboard include:
- Weekly unemployment claims fell for the tenth straight week, and are down 39% in that timeframe;
- The Capital Region added 11,400 jobs in August, which is the largest monthly job growth on record by several thousand;
- The Capital Region has gained more jobs back than some in-state metro areas like New Orleans, but trails some of its peer cities;
- Hotel occupancy was up over-the-year for the fifth week in a row, as were revenues;
- While most sectors have shown strong signs of recovery, the Leisure & Hospitality and Construction sectors – two of the largest in the region – are still struggling.