Progress Arkansas encourages higher-wage job growth

Progress Arkansas, a newly formed group backed by prominent businesses and organizations in the state, issued a statement Monday (Dec. 8) expressing concern about the future of Arkansas’ economy.

The statement did go to great lengths to highlight the economic development accomplishments of Gov. Mike Beebe, and commend Beebe for his “responsible and pragmatic” economic development policies.

“Despite these positive signs, much work remains to be done if the state is going to avoid the brunt of the national recession and grow significantly in the coming years,” noted the Progress Arkansas statement.

Progress Arkansas, led by former Arkansas State Chamber president Bob Lamb and formed in October 2008, is yet another state organization to shift its focus from merely counting jobs created to evaluating the quality of the jobs created.

The group advises: “Arkansas’ unemployment rate is considerably lower than the national average. However, this positive statistic is tempered with the fact that the per capita personal income for Arkansans is about $8,000 less than the national average, ranking it third from the bottom among all 50 states. If Arkansas is going to excel economically, it is not only important that jobs be created, but that wages and salaries are competitive as well.”

Progress Arkansas lists five things Arkansas must do to foster positive economic development.
• Expand the Governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund.
• Increase the Arkansas Economic Development Commission budget to be on par with
competitive, surrounding states.
• Develop incentives and policy to better position Arkansas to be successful in
growing and recruiting companies within the renewable energy sector.
• Increase the number of communities that have a dedicated revenue stream for
economic development purposes.
• Better prepare new business sites through pre‐certification.