Employment rates can have a dramatic impact on our economy. A company's ability to meet their supply and demand goals will be driven by a productive workforce. Questions business managers must ask themselves are: Are there enough people working who can afford to purchase my product or service at the desired price? Is the local workforce available to provide me with one of the factors of production, LABOR? Research your state and county's current unemployment rates. How does your local county's unemployment rate compare to the entire states rate? How do the rates compare to one year ago? Summarize how this information could be used to plan a business's growth strategy in your community