Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Economic Trends 

1) U.S. Unemployment Rate Falls to 50-Year Low 

a) Source: White House Article (https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/u-s-unemployment-rate-falls-50-year-low/)

b) Opportunity Exists: this particular article demonstrates how the unemployment rate is gradually decreasing in the United States to a record-low number. Therefore, there is a clear opportunity to continue to improve our national economy. The United States should explore more avenues or options to continue to decrease their unemployment rate and enhance economic growth in the foreseeable future. It's imperative that more jobs are being formed or created in order to accommodate the growing number of individuals who are inhabiting the United States. The working population is consistently growing, hence resulting in an improved economy as well as a reduced poverty rate in America. 

c) Prototypical Customer: the employed individuals would have interest because they could receive additional benefits or incentives to continue working. Also, the unemployed would have interest because more jobs are being created in order to gradually lower the unemployment rate even further.

d) Opportunity Exploited: essentially, this opportunity can be exploited to a relatively small extent. Considering our national government holds a great deal of power in this area, a single person could experience difficulties exploiting it, unless it's an entire corporation.

e) Opportunity Seen: I'm heavily supportive of our national efforts to help potentially put an end to the poverty epidemic. As a teenager and United States citizen, I certainly hope our economy continues to experience positive growth in the present day and foreseeable future. If our economy is consistently thriving, then there will always be a plethora of job opportunities available to those of practically all ages, such as teenagers, adults, and elders. 

2) Health Care Just Became the U.S.'s Largest Employer

a) Source: The Atlantic Article (https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/01/health-care-america-jobs/550079/)

b) Opportunity Exists: considering there is a growing number of individuals, particularly the elderly folks, who consistently require healthcare, there will be plenty of job opportunities for individuals interested in the field of health. Therefore, with more people being employed in the healthcare sector, the unemployment rate across the United States will continue to decrease which will benefit our national economy in a tremendous manner. Ultimately, there is a clear opportunity for people to enter the healthcare field in order to become employed in our country. 

c) Prototypical Customer: people who seek employment in the United States, particularly college graduates who hope to enter the healthcare/medical field.

d) Opportunity Exploited: this opportunity can be exploited to a relatively minor extent. There's a constant need for healthcare in America, which implies that more people will continue to become employed in the field of health. However, there is always the potential for the healthcare sector to be compromised and result in a loss of jobs among those in the healthcare field. 

e) Opportunity Seen: as someone with parents and grandparents who always seemingly require healthcare, I realize that there will likely never be a shortage of jobs in the field of health. People will continue to depend on healthcare professionals, thus stimulating more potential job growth in the healthcare sector, which will significantly boost the national economy and increase the working population simultaneously. 

Regulatory Trends 

3) Top Cybersecurity Threats in 2020

a) Source: University of San Diego Article (https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/top-cyber-security-threats/)

b) Opportunity Exists: there is an opportunity that potentially exists which can limit the damage caused by hackers nowadays. The topics of cybersecurity and cyberattacks have become prevalent topics in our society, posing significant threats to the federal government and other notable corporations. Due to the growing cyber crime epidemic in the United States, there is an opportunity for more cybersecurity professionals to receive employment opportunities in order to prevent cyber crimes from continuing to increase. 

c) Prototypical Customer: the young generation or millennials because they are heavily reliant on technology in our modern society. Also, corporations and the government can be attacked by cyberattacks such as phishing and malware. 

d) Opportunity Exploited: essentially, this opportunity has the potential to be exploited to a large extent. There's minimal regulation and control over cybersecurity threats, particularly those who are classified as hackers. It's difficult to prevent or mitigate the damage which can be caused by hackers or people who invoke social media threats because there is a large base of those particular individuals across the web. 

e) Opportunity Seen: as someone who was once a victim of a cybersecurity crime (social media account being hacked), I feel there is an urgent need to track down these cyber crime professionals or hackers in order to put an end to cyberattacks. The United States cannot allow cyber crime professionals to tap into their government, hence there must be more cybersecurity professionals being employed in our country. 

4) Personalized Healthcare Technology On Display At CES 2020

a) Source: Forbes Article (https://www.forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2020/01/13/personalized-healthcare-technology-on-display-at-ces-2020/)

b) Opportunity Exists: there is an opportunity to improve the lives of medically sick individuals in the United States. By distributing these newly invented healthcare technological devices, individuals will be able to consistently monitor their personal health in order to take better and proper care of themselves. Therefore, these devices can contribute to less people relying upon medical professionals or the hospital to improve their health or physical condition. 

c) Prototypical Customer: practically any individual who is dependent on proper health care or is in need of immediate health care. Mainly, those who are medically sick will benefit tremendously because these devices enable one to monitor or track their health and well-being. 

d) Opportunity Exploited: this opportunity can be exploited to a certain extent. There is the potential for the technology to fail, thus leaving the individuals in need of proper health care in a major predicament. Plus, these individuals can always neglect these devices or misinterpret them, hence resulting in them continuing to depend on medical professionals and hospitals. 

e) Opportunity Seen: as a United States citizen who has depended upon effective health care over the years (needed shoulder surgery in 2019), we must ensure that this healthcare technology is proven to be an effective method to provide efficient and proper health care to those in need. These healthcare devices are a brilliant way to help people monitor their personal health on a daily basis.