Research Method Registry

What labor is present, accessible, and plausibly available for incremental demand?

Research purpose

Study whether skilled labor is present and how much additional demand a market may absorb.

Evidence inputs

Occupational employment · Labor-force stocks · Demographics · Apprenticeships and training · Mobility · Employer demand · Contractor scale · Permitted primary records

Assumptions

Presence does not equal recruitability. Residence does not equal work location. Worker stocks do not directly measure spare capacity.

Testing approach

Compare measures against observed hiring, mobilization, completion, or other outcomes; test sensitivity to geography, occupation, and time.

Current testing record

Testing is in development. No public record currently supports a permanent or global validation designation.

Known limitations

Sparse, lagged, or incompatible sources · Informal labor movement · Unknown duplication · Unobserved project allocation

How concentrated and competitive is demand relative to relevant supply?

Research purpose

Study demand intensity, employer competition, scarcity, concentration, and market saturation.

Evidence inputs

Employer demand · Hiring activity · Job-posting lifecycle · Employer concentration · Compensation signals · Project pipelines · Mobility · Labor supply

Assumptions

Postings may be duplicated, evergreen, delayed, or cancelled. Posting counts are not interchangeable with unique current vacancies.

Testing approach

Reconcile postings to employer behavior and other demand indicators; test whether pressure measures relate to observed hiring or compensation outcomes.

Current testing record

Lifecycle and reconciliation testing is in development. No published result establishes predictive validity or vacancy quality.

Known limitations

Coverage varies by source and employer · Posting data may omit informal hiring · Posting data alone cannot establish vacancy quality

How are pay conditions changing, for whom, where, and over what period?

Research purpose

Study compensation levels, escalation, volatility, regional variation, occupational variation, and wage pressure.

Evidence inputs

Official wage data · Public compensation records · Published wage scales · Collective-bargaining information where public · Posted compensation · Longitudinal trends

Assumptions

Sources measure different pay concepts and populations. Reported and posted compensation can lag or select from the underlying market.

Testing approach

Reconcile definitions and compare derived trends with independent measures and observed employer or worker behavior.

Current testing record

Definition reconciliation and longitudinal comparison are in development. Earlier claims of a globally validated compensation framework are not retained.

Known limitations

Reporting lag · Sparse occupation-market cells · Nonwage compensation · Range censoring · Selection in posted pay

How do investment and infrastructure conditions alter workforce requirements?

Research purpose

Study how capital-project activity, permitting, power, grid, contractor capacity, and concurrent investment alter workforce demand.

Evidence inputs

Project and permit records · Public filings · Power and transmission information · Contractor records · Operating footprint · Hiring demand · Relevant infrastructure data

Assumptions

Announcements, permits, financing, construction, operation, delay, cancellation, and completion are different states. Project pipelines are not settled demand.

Testing approach

Reconcile projects across sources and time; test whether measured activity relates to observed labor demand, mobility, or outcomes.

Current testing record

Source reconciliation and lifecycle testing are in development. Project counts and announced investment are not treated as validated workforce demand.

Known limitations

Incomplete or lagged project records · Changing scope · Uncertain timelines · Entity ambiguity · Nonpublic commercial information

Which workforce conditions are associated with schedule, hiring, cost, continuity, or delivery outcomes?

Research purpose

Study empirical relationships between workforce conditions and measurable project, investment, hiring, or program outcomes.

Evidence inputs

Documented workforce measures · Schedules · Hiring duration · Mobilization · Compensation · Completion · Continuity · Program participation · Permitted outcome records

Assumptions

Workforce conditions are one class of determinants among financing, design, supply chains, regulation, weather, management, and other causes.

Testing approach

Use pre-specified hypotheses, comparison groups, robustness checks, out-of-sample testing where possible, and independent review.

Current testing record

Outcome definitions, comparison designs, and review protocols are in development. Association is not represented as causation.

Known limitations

Selection and confounding · Sparse outcomes · Inconsistent definitions · Missing counterfactuals · Limits on causal attribution