Regional Competitiveness of the Gulf South for History-Related Occupations

Development of the U.S. Gulf South region is dependent upon a vibrant cadre of regional historians dedicated to discovery, dissemination, and preservation of the region’s history, but is the Gulf South region successfully competing for such highly qualified professionals? This paper examines the five U.S. states bordering the Gulf of Mexico to determine the region’s competitiveness for various history-related occupations using shift-share analysis. This method of analysis decomposes employment change into national, occupational, and regional components. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics database, the study found the Gulf South region competitive for post-secondary history teachers and archivists from 2004-14, but lacked competitiveness for curators, museum technicians and conservators, and librarians. On a 5-year basis (2009-14), the region lacked competitiveness in all history-related occupations studied