How the Regional Evaluation System works.
The Regional Evaluation System (RES) connects project demand, workforce capacity, education pathways, regional assets and funding. Each evaluation uses stated sources, geographic boundaries and assumptions.
Facts, estimates and open questions.
zScale Intellect brings these together while keeping their differences visible. A modeled occupation mix is useful for planning. A confirmed employer requirement is a different kind of evidence.
Start with the source.
Sources publish at different intervals and levels of detail. Each analytical result needs the relevant data period, method and limitations.
- 01
Project demand
Employer announcements and public project recordsAn announced commitment has a location, status and hiring horizon. It is not a count of people already hired.
- 02
Occupations and wages
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsEmployment describes workers in an occupation. It does not establish how many are available to a new employer.
- 03
Training pathways
IPEDS completions and the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalkAwards show historical program output. Available seats, completion timing and local retention need separate evidence.
- 04
Industry staffing
BLS industry–occupation staffing patternsA staffing pattern estimates the mix of occupations in an industry. It is not an observed roster for a particular company.
- 05
Dislocation signals
Official WARN notices and reviewed local sourcesA notice describes a reported event. Occupations, timing and worker availability may require further verification.
- 06
Funding pathways
Administering agencies and published program guidancePrograms have specific eligibility, application windows and funding conditions. A listed pathway is not an award or eligibility decision.
Primary references: BLS occupational estimates · IPEDS · NCES program classification · O*NET
Geography matters
A jurisdiction is not a labor market.
A city, a county, a workforce-board service area and a commuting area answer different questions. We state the geographic basis of an analysis rather than treating those boundaries as interchangeable.
City and county observations can overlap. Regional totals need an explicit method to avoid counting the same population more than once. A metro-level estimate should remain labeled as metro-level evidence.
The public occupation-overlap example focuses on Richardson. The regional lookup covers selected North Texas locations. Work in another region begins with a coverage review of the sources and decision you need.
Discuss your regionRead the assumptions alongside the answer.
Does occupation overlap mean a hiring shortfall?
No. Overlap identifies projects with demand for some of the same occupations. Establishing a hiring shortfall also requires supply, hiring timing, wages, mobility and other assumptions. The public overlap tool keeps those claims separate.
Are employer draw estimates observed worker movements?
No. Modeled draws estimate possible pressure under the displayed staffing and allocation assumptions. They do not establish that a named employer has lost employees or intends to hire a particular occupation.
How current is the information?
Official sources follow different release schedules. A retrieval date tells you when a source was checked. The data period tells you which time frame the figures describe. Neither should be presented as a platform-wide real-time guarantee.
What happens when information is missing?
Missing evidence remains an open question. The public occupation-overlap tool uses a dated example built from public announcements and BLS staffing patterns. It shows its review and source dates, and reports unavailable results if that example cannot load. An illustrative interface or worked scenario must be labeled and kept separate from verified analytical results.
Can a scenario predict what will happen?
A scenario explores how an answer changes under stated assumptions. It is not a validated forecast. Claims about future bottlenecks need historical evaluation and measured uncertainty before they can be described as predictions.
Inspect the evidence for yourself.
Explore the public example or send a source correction with the page and claim you want us to review.
Submit a correction