The unemployment rate in the United States is the lowest it has been since 2000, but employers can’t find enough skilled workers to fill jobs. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton Job Training in the Digital Age: Learning to Do, Not Think

In the first of a two-part interview, the architect of last year’s World Series champions shares how analytics, organization, and culture combine to create competitive advantage in a zero-sum industry. Source: McKinsey How the Houston Astros are winning through advanced analytics

For companies, smart cities represent major business opportunities — and not only for tech firms selling systems to government agencies, write Jonathan Woetzel and Jaana Remes in Harvard Business Review. Source: McKinsey Is your company ready for the rise of smart cities?

Growth of corporate debt is not as ominous as it first appears and, indeed, in some ways even points to a positive economic outcome, writes Susan Lund in Project Syndicate. Source: McKinsey Are we in a corporate debt bubble?

For urban planners, data and technology are valuable tools to improve administration and services, but they come with a hidden cost: the potential to deepen inequality among digitally marginalized groups, write Homi Kharas and Jaana Remes in Project Syndicate. Source: McKinsey Can smart cities be equitable?

Today’s startups seem intent on building up quickly and selling to the highest bidder. But it’s better to build a lasting business, a new book says. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton From Walmart to Disney: Building Companies That Last

Virtual reality is not just good for gaming. It’s also a tool for developing human connections, says the author of a new book. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton Beyond Gaming: How Virtual Reality Brings Us Closer

The terms Bitcoin and blockchain are often used interchangeably, but there are differences among the groups comprising this innovation, Wharton professor Kevin Werbach says. Source: Knowledge @ Wharton Why Blockchain Isn’t a Revolution

So you’re ready to launch a new product. Congratulations. Regardless of your business type or industry, it’s important for brands, both new and old, to be innovative to stay relevant. I know how much hard work you’ve put into this new release, so I want to commend you on that. Whether you’re releasing a new Read more about How to Generate Sales for a New Product Release[…]

Amid growing confidence in the US building products industry, players across the value chain face increasing pressure on growth and margins and will need to develop new value-creation strategies. Source: McKinsey The next act for private equity in US residential building products