http://www.nhpolicy.org/UploadedFiles/Reports/NEEPNewHampshireOct2015.pdf
Dennis Delay, an economist at the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, predicts the state’s economy will be very good in 2016 and likely lead New England.
That is because the national economy is doing pretty well and energy prices are down, Delay said.
Delay will present his fall outlook report for New Hampshire Thursday at the New England Economic Fall Outlook Conference.
The theme of the conference is: Can we get There from Here? Transportation, Infrastructure and the Future of New England Economy.
Below find the executive summary of Delay’s report posted on the center’s website.
Click on headline to link to Delay’s full report.
New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, Executive Summary
Date: October 15th, 2015
The year 2016 will be a very good year for the New Hampshire economy with strong employment growth, driven by a continued recovery in the housing sector and low energy prices overall.
In the forecast presented one year ago, we noted that New Hampshire and Vermont were in a foot race to see which state had the second fastest job recovery in New England. Massachusetts had already recovered all of the jobs lost in the Great Recession. At this writing, New Hampshire is back to the level of employment last seen before the beginning of the Great Recession.
New Hampshire has a low unemployment rate (3.4 percent in September 2015 compared to the U.S. 5.1 percent), and state job growth has been gaining strength. About half of the jobs added in the last few years pay an above average wage.
Infrastructure is key to the well-being of any society, allowing smooth transit, healthy living, and a quality of life where the economy grows, so it is no small surprise that infrastructure investment continues to be a primary public policy conversation. And the state has many different tools at its disposal to support infrastructure development.