On Monday, September 29th, EMSI will be releasing a “beta” or testing version of its dataset as an option for all users. The current stable data release will continue to be available as the default during this testing phase; you will have to manually change your preferences to see the beta release. We encourage all Strategic Advantage users to take a look at the new data and offer their input on the results of our enhanced methodology.
You will only see the new data if you specifically choose that option. The first time you log in after the Monday release, you will see a splash screen informing you of the new dataset. Click through to reach the Strategic Advantage home screen, then under “Account Management” select “Preferences.” At the bottom of the options page under “Data Options,” you will be able to choose “Fall 2008 Release (BETA).” Please be advised that we intend this dataset to be used for testing/evaluation only at this time; since it has not been fully tested we do not yet recommend using it for decision making, publications, or wide distribution.
What’s new in EMSI’s Fall 2008 data? We’ve made a few important additions to our methodology in order to improve the timeliness of our data:
Current Employment Statistics (CES) now informs current year projections. Until now, the time lag inherent in our main data sources as well as our own biannual data release schedule meant that our current year of data was always projected, and the most recent year of data was often a partial projection (for Spring data releases). We’re now filling that gap by using CES, which is released monthly with month-old data. While CES does not contain nearly the industry or geographic detail of other sources (or EMSI’s final data), it is still very useful to benchmark our more detailed current-year projections, especially in times of rapid economic change. We also now use the current year as the base year for future projections. Given the economic turmoil of the past year, you will find that many of the major differences between the current and new data releases (for current and future years) are a result of these changes.
Nearly all of our major data sources have been updated since our last release, including the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, the BEA’s Regional Economic Information System, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, and about half of the states’ own employment projections. We have included these updates and they will affect 2006-2008 data as well as future-year projections.
If you have any questions about this beta release, or if you would like to offer your feedback on the new data and methodology, please contact EMSI Customer Solutions at 866-999-3674. Thank you!