Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness

08/24/2023

Thank you to Early Matters El Paso El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence EPCAE for the opportunity extended to the Hunt Institute. Our Director of Research, Dr. John Gibson, participated in a panel discussion hosted by the El Paso Community Foundation to shed light on the profound impact of quality early childcare in shaping El Paso's workforce.

The foundation of a robust workforce goes beyond merely finding the right talents. It's about fostering a supportive environment for both employees and our community. Early childhood education and quality childcare play a pivotal role in fortifying El Paso's workforce and bolstering its economic fabric.

The Hunt Institute's comprehensive research, including a compensation study, unveils a stark reality about childhood educator pay. Alarming statistics illuminate the gaps between average earnings and living wages, particularly pronounced in majority-Hispanic counties. This points to the urgency for targeted policies to address these disparities.

In El Paso County, childcare service workers earn an average of just under $21,000 per year, while the living wage hovers around $36,000 annually. This places childcare workers at 58% of the living wage for our area.

Why should employers deeply care about early childhood education? As Dr. John Gibson aptly puts it, "Childcare is a necessary service for many working families. A lack of access to affordable childcare can impact labor participation, pushing individuals to cut back their work hours or even leave the labor force entirely. This ripples through the community, affecting household incomes and constraining our local talent pool."

Indeed, the care and support we provide in these formative years lay the foundation for a thriving workforce and a prosperous community.

Thank you to Arthur V. from EPCAE for sharing this photo and supporting this important issue for our community.

05/15/2023

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7063992303555670016

With mixed emotions, we bid farewell to our esteemed colleague, Roberto Ransom, as he embarks on a new journey with the El Paso County Economic Development Department as the Director of Economic Development. Roberto's remarkable contributions to UTEP over the past ten years have left an indelible mark, strengthening partnerships and raising awareness.

🎉 Join us in thanking Roberto for his service and wishing him boundless success in his new role!

With mixed emotions, we bid farewell to our esteemed colleague, Roberto Ransom, as he embarks on a new journey with the El Paso County Economic Development…

05/15/2023

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7061546515370033153

The Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness is honored to have participated in the El Paso-Cd. Juarez Industry Summit - Advancing to the Future! Our Executive Director Mayra Maldonado moderated a panel of distinguished experts on innovation and advanced manufacturing including Cathy Chen-Arriaga, Elizabeth Triggs, Omar Saucedo, Ricardo Mora, and Ryan Wicker. We're honored to be part of this event and to contribute to the conversation about the future of advanced manufacturing in the Paso del Norte region.

We're also excited to see the amazing work being done by Foreign Trade Zone 68 , which is building relationships that explore the capabilities and innovations within the advanced manufacturing industry. We are grateful to David Panko, AZS, Carlos A. Hernandez, Lt Col (Ret) USAF, MA, MS, Araceli Barnard, and Rocio Esquivel for bringing together key community and industry leaders together to collaborate on ways to enhance our region and expand its rich capabilities.

We can't wait to see how this collaboration grows throughout the year and look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the region to advance innovation and economic development.

02/17/2023

The second part of the economic impact of reduced wait times at the border focuses on the costs and benefits for border states in both countries.

Learn how a 10-minute reduction in wait times can create thousands of jobs in Mexico, grow several Mexican states' gross domestic product (GDP), and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in new spending in the United States.

Atlantic Council

To learn more, click the report link below:

Atlantic Council's new data shows that a mere 10-minute reduction in wait times – without any additional action – can create thousands of Mexican jobs, grow the gross domestic product (GDP) of several Mexican states, and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in new spending in the United Sta...

09/27/2022

Read the newly released joint report by the Atlantic Council, the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness, and El Colef - El Colegio de la Frontera Norte that addresses the economic impact at the binational level for improved border management practices along the US-Mexico border ports of entry.

Fact sheet: https://lnkd.in/d_jwQj_D

Report: https://lnkd.in/dttp9Xua

Read The Economic Impact of a More Efficient US-Mexico Border by Atlantic Council on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platfo...

09/27/2022

The Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness, represented by Roberto Ransom, Operations Director, participated in a conversation with the Atlantic Council sharing our findings and key takeaways on the economic impact of a more efficient US-Mexico border.

Watch the video below to see how these collaborations are focusing on ways to not only enhance our regional economy but the economic growth of both countries

A conversation on the economic and security benefits of creating a more efficient US-Mexico border.

09/20/2022

Texas has been the main driver of exports to Mexico through the El Paso ports of entry in 2022, as $3.6 billion of export commodity value from Texas made its way to Mexico through the El Paso ports of entry.

Subscribe to the Hunt Institute newsletter for monthly updates on key indicators.

https://www.utep.edu/hunt-institute/newsletter/subscribe.html

09/19/2022

The Hunt Institute is looking for a Senior Editor!

Apply to join our team today: https://rb.gy/btzqcl

08/22/2022

The Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness along with the Center for Law and Human Behavior at UTEP - The University of Texas at El Paso, in partnership with Rod McSherry and Jaclyn Shaw of UTSA - The University of Texas at San Antonio and TX-STARS Consortia hosted a deep dive discussion on how technology can improve regional disaster resilience within our region.

HI Executive Director Mayra Maldonado Islas moderated a panel of key members from organizations that represent four industries; education, government, economic development, and workforce development. Panelist Miriam Gpe. Baca Kotkowski, Ricardo A. Samaniego, David C. Hawkins, and Dr. Victor M. Manjarrez, Jr., gathered to identify needs and methods to develop an innovation driven economic approach to overcome regional limitations and bolster the regional economy.

08/02/2022

Executive Director Mayra Maldonado Islasand Director of Operations Roberto Ransom along with Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness staff and students led a parallel roundtable discussion with businesspeople, residents, and policy makers in Cd. Juárez at the IA.Center - Centro de Inteligencia Artificial similar to the roundtable discussions led by HI at UTEP - The University of Texas at El Paso in May. This event was made possible through collaborations with Mariana Barraza-Mitchell, Political and Economic Affairs, Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso, Juan Acereto, International Affairs Representative for the Government of Ciudad Juárez, and Omar Saucedo, Techspark Community Engagement Manager.

Later this summer, research partners the Hunt Institute, the Atlantic Council, and El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, A.C. will co-publish the results of the study.

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center of Atlantic Council
U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Intl Narcotics & Law Enforcement (INL)

07/22/2022

Today Executive Director Mayra Maldonado Islas presented Hunt Institute research on broadband equity in El Paso at the White House Initiative Latino Economic Summit .

The event hosted by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, directed by Melody Gonzales (https://twitter.com/MelGDC), and the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program - AILAS, directed by Domenika Lynch (https://twitter.com/domenikalynch) at UTEP - The University of Texas at El Paso campus gathered high-level representatives from federal agencies with community leaders and business people to discuss federal resources available to the community.

07/01/2022

Economist Ángel Moreno presents our preliminary findings on the Opportunity Youth population in El Paso County.
Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness is conducting this research in collaboration with EPCAE, which will use the results to reconnect these young adults. National League of Cities is providing technical support for the project. https://kfoxtv.com/newsletter-daily/el-paso-selected-to-participate-in-efforts-for-youth-to-engage-in-education-work