Tennessee ranked No. 7 among the 50 states for the quality of its transportation and trade and stood out for high-tech job growth, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's survey of states.
Georgia ranked even higher than Tennessee at No. 4 in transportation and trade, which was measured in terms of the states quality of roads and bridges - infrastructure that included access to broadband Internet services as well as the state's trade enhancement programs.
Top states for job growth
1. North Dakota2. Texas3. Utah4. Washington5. ColoradoSource: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s survey of states.
The Chamber's survey released Tuesday is intended to point to the states that are poised to thrive in the changing economy and ranks states across six policy measures based on policy makers' ability to create job growth. North Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Colorado were ranked among the best performing states across the country.
In the South, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama were not at the top of the list on most policies related to innovation, entrepreneurship and creating a talent pipeline. But the states were mentioned as places where businesses in technology fields, such as software developers, marketing and sales managers and designers, have a chance to grow and take advantage of the educational infrastructure and low costs of living.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that those technology worker positions have surged across the country 42 percent since 2001.
All three Southeastern states also ranked high in terms of a strong engineering workforce.
For the last six years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been ranking states as the country faces a growing crisis of gaps in workforce skills and challenges in an economy that focuses more on science, technology, engineering and math.
According to the Chamber economists predict that 50 percent of the annual GDP growth is attributed to increases in innovation. Yet another recent survey by the Chamber found that 92 percent of the executives questioned believe there is a serious gap in employees skills.
A study by Accenture and the Manufacturing Institute estimates that mid-sized manufacturers alone report more than 11 percent loss in annual earnings - that's $4.6 million annually - because of the skills gap.
Mark Schill, a lead analyst for the Chamber's survey on states, said the survey highlights the top 25 states that are putting policies to practice that could drive economical change but doesn't list the states that have fallen behind.
The Chamber is trying to move the conversation away from whether job growth is up or down for the month and instead create meaningful conversations centered around how to fix our economy, Schill said.
"We're trying to create a road map and show what are the best practices," said Vanessa Lyon, the Chamber Foundation's executive director.
In Tennessee, the state was also highlighted for Governor Bill Haslam's Drive to 55 Alliance a goal to get 55 percent of residents a college education or certification by 2025. Tennessee Promise offers free community college or technical training for high school graduates and Tennessee Reconnect offers free technical training for 24 year-olds and older.
So far, 520 students are using a state scholarship to attend Chattanooga's Tennessee College of Applied Technology to earn a certification. Across the state, 11,000 adults signed up for Tennessee Reconnect, but less than half, or about 4,900 adults, are currently enrolled in classes.
While Tennessee was praised for its latest education initiative, overall the state ranked no. 25 in terms of college affordability across the country.
Contact staff writer Joy Lukachick Smith at jsmith@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.