The St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report presents a quarterly analysis of economic and business conditions in the St. Cloud (Minnesota) region. It currently includes an Executive Summary, an analysis of the results of the St. Cloud Area Business Outlook Survey, the St. Cloud Index of Leading Economic Indicators, a recession probability index for the St. Cloud area, and a discussion of local data. The St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report is produced by the School of Public Affairs Research Institute and the Department of Economics at St. Cloud State University. Collaborating partners in the funding, design, editing, and/or publication of the report have included the St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership, the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation, and Times Media. Print editions of the report have appeared in ROI Central Minnesota and currently appear as a special section in the St. Cloud Times. Authors have included Mark Partridge, former Professor of Economics, King Banaian, Professor of Economics, and Richard A. MacDonald, Assistant Professor of Economics.
This series contains videos based on the reports.
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St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report, Vol. 22, No. 2 - Podcast
King Banaian and Richard MacDonald
St. Cloud State University School of Public Affairs Dean King Banaian and Professor Richard MacDonald provided a virtual review of the June 2020 Quarterly Business Report in lieu of the normal in-person meeting. The report shows the area economy entered a recession in March 2020 with unprecedented speed and depth. The audience was polled on the shape and length of the recession, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on labor markets and concerns for increases in the national debt.
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St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report, Vol. 22, No. 3 - Podcast
King Banaian and Richard MacDonald
At a virtual presentation on September 17, 2020, the results of the August 2020 St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report were presented. Key takeaways included the smaller drop in employment in St. Cloud since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic than other parts of Minnesota. St. Cloud is currently in a recession and both business leaders and authors’ statistical analysis expect the recession to end in the first half of 2021, with 42% of surveyed business leaders in the St. Cloud area believing business activity would rise in the next six months while 30% thought it would fall. More business leaders expect increased difficulty hiring qualified workers than expect easier hiring conditions, and one in three thought they would be offering higher wages over the next six months.
