Wages and Prices Wage pressures remained constrained, according to most contacts, but labor shortages are a cause for concern. Along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, job fairs in casinos and department stores are becoming frequent in order to help ease labor shortages. Employers in Louisiana's shipbuilding industry are frustrated by their inability to find qualified workers. In Tennessee, technical centers have contracted with several industries and are beginning apprenticeship programs to help provide a continuing supply of skilled workers. Contacts also say that workers skilled in the construction trades are in demand as are general laborers.
Prices remain mostly stable as businesses struggle to keep costs down.
Some contacts report that improved productivity from computers and high-tech goods are helping employers to hold the line on price increases. Some firms are pushing for lower benefits for workers as a result of rising benefit and medical costs. To comment on this site, please fill out our feedback form.