Celebrating Diversity
As we close out the first quarter, Roundtable staff took a moment to reflect on the past few months. With February’s focus on Black History and March’s spotlight on Women’s History, we took a moment to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of Black Americans and women and reflected on the importance of celebrating diversity in all forms. Fundamentally, diversity is…
A Talent Agenda to Drive Massachusetts Competitiveness
The secret to Massachusetts’ economic success has historically been its ever-growing population of well-trained, highly educated, and diverse talent. For decades, this has been the Commonwealth’s greatest competitive advantage…and will continue to be. However, this economic strength is currently under threat due to three key challenges, namely: the high cost of living; the outmigration of talent; and the high costs…
Taking Aim at the State’s Competitiveness
With the passage of significant economic development and climate legislation this month, the Governor and legislature are putting a bow on a legislative session that will be consequential to the state’s economy for years to come. Bookended by $1B in tax cuts and nearly $10B in bond authorizations for key policy priorities, this legislative session took direct aim at addressing…
What We Learned on Our Trip to D.C.
Last month, Tonja and I attended the Annual Meeting of State Business RoundtableExecutives in Washington, D.C., hosted by the national Business Roundtable. Thisannual convening provides an opportunity to share experiences, priorities, andcompare notes with peers from around the country. It is a productive forum to discussboth organizational and policy issues and is always a fascinating peek into the psycheof other…
What We Heard This Summer in Our Roundtable Member Meetings
During our annual series of conversations with almost 50 Roundtable members this summer about their business, their industry, and the economy, one quote stood out: “The economy is throwing everyone for a loop.” There are high interest rates but low unemployment. It’s still hard to find workers in some industries, but the labor market has cooled. Inflation was up, then…
Growing MA’s Labor Market: Why Immigrants Should be Part of the Solution
In Massachusetts, competitiveness is fundamentally about people. It always has been. Access to a well-educated, well-trained and diverse talent pool has been the state’s calling card for decades – even centuries – fueled by world-class higher education institutions, foundational industry clusters, and an innovation ecosystem like nowhere else in the world. There are signs, however, that our talent advantage could…
Perspectives from the Annual Meeting of State Roundtables
Earlier this month, I joined with other leaders of State Roundtables from seventeen states across the country. MBR serves as the organizer of this national affiliation of business roundtables, hosted this year by the Florida Council of 100, providing a valuable forum of peers with shared experience to share best practices both on policy and organizational issues. This year we…
The Future of Travel
As hybrid and remote options increase among employers in Massachusetts and globally, businesses are also contemplating real estate needs and office layouts to align with these trends. At the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, we have held countless discussions to share experiences, data and resources, and best practices in responding to and planning for the future of work. Talent is consistently a…
What’s the Role of Employers in an Ever-Changing World?
The role of the employer has evolved in recent years, with a range of expectations varying in workplaces, communities, and regions across the country. Increasingly, employers are contemplating its role—if any—on a range of social, racial, and economic issues locally, statewide, and nationally. Recognizing this trend and with interest in understanding the perspective among Massachusetts-based employers, the Roundtable recently hosted…
The MA Business Roundtable Goes to DC!
If we want to stay competitive, should we talk candidly about state challenges and opportunities with business groups across the country? Absolutely. While we may compete with states across the country to position Massachusetts as a top innovative leader, we also know that states must work collaboratively to support regional, national, and global competitiveness. This was top of mind…