(MENAFN - 3BL) Originally published on GoDaddy

• Improvement in digital infrastructure leads to increased microbusiness activity, engagement, and job creation.
• It's now a baseline to have strong connectivity and proper infrastructure in your community, which wasn't the case pre-COVID-19.
• Investment in infrastructure can level the playing field

TEMPE, Ariz., November 8, 2024 /3BL/ -- Job creation due to digital infrastructure investment skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. Recent data from GoDaddy and UCLA Anderson Forecast shows that digital infrastructure improvement created 280,000+ jobs nationwide - equivalent to the population of Reno - between April 2020 and March 2024.

Growth in infrastructure index, April 2020 and March 2024

STATE	GROWTH IN INFRA. INDEX	MAI COMPOSITE	INFRA.	PARTICIPATION	ENGAGEMENT
Mississippi	9%	98.1	97.4	96.3	104.4
Alabama	8%	100.3	99.8	98.0	104.3
Louisiana	7%	99.7	99.0	98.1	103.6
New Mexico	7%	100.1	99.6	98.2	103.7
Tennessee	7%	102.2	101.8	99.8	103.8
Kentucky	7%	101.4	100.8	98.3	105.4
Arkansas	7%	99.8	99.3	97.3	104.9
West Virginia	6%	98.4	96.7	96.8	105.4
South Carolina	6%	102.4	102.6	99.7	103.4
Oklahoma	6%	102.0	102.4	99.7	102.6

However, not all regions are created equal. The South and Southeast regions of the United States, in particular, experienced unparalleled growth in microbusiness activity and job creation due to investments and improvements in digital infrastructure. The states with the highest growth in the infrastructure index over the last four years include:

These findings stem from GoDaddy's Venture Forward research initiative and UCLA Anderson Forecast. The organizations jointly publish the Microbusiness Activity Index (MAI) report every year to quantify, measure, and compare microbusiness activity across communities and nationwide over time. The Microbusiness Activity Index is comprised of three subindices: Digital infrastructure (how easy it is to access internet and computers and the availability of local human capital), Participation (how many microbusiness entrepreneurs and ventures there are), and Engagement (how active the websites are). The data also shows that a one-point increase in the infrastructure index, which encompasses human capital and digital elements like broadband and computer accessibility, corresponds to an increase of 89 jobs in a county.

"Reliable access to strong broadband connectivity is really the key to greater economic opportunity and prosperity, particularly when combined with the skills to use it for business ventures," said Alexandra Rosen, Global Head of Venture Forward. "The research captures how investment made in digital infrastructure further levels the playing field for entrepreneurs across the country."

"The correlation between increased digital infrastructure and microbusiness activity further points to the pivotal role good connectivity plays in economic growth," said William Yu, UCLA Anderson Forecast economist. "Nationwide, regions are prioritizing their broadband investment, and as a result, creating more jobs."

To learn more about the Microbusiness Activity Index and how microbusinesses influence local and national economies, visit

About GoDaddy Venture Forward

GoDaddy's Venture Forward research initiative analyzes more than 20 million online businesses with a digital presence (measured by a unique domain and an active website). Most of these businesses employ fewer than ten people, categorizing each as a microbusiness. To find out more about GoDaddy's Venture Forward research, visit: .

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers, sell their products and services, and accept payments online and in person. GoDaddy's easy-to-use tools help microbusiness owners manage everything in one place, and its expert guides are available to provide assistance 24/7. To learn more about the company, visit .

About UCLA Anderson Forecast

UCLA Anderson Forecast is one of the most widely watched and often-cited economic outlooks for California and the nation and was unique in predicting both the seriousness of the early-1990s downturn in California and the strength of the state's rebound since 1993. The Forecast was credited as the first major U.S. economic forecasting group to call the recession of 2001 and, in March 2020, it was the first to declare that the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had already begun.

About UCLA Anderson School of Management

UCLA Anderson School of Management is among the leading business schools in the world, with faculty members globally renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Located in Los Angeles, a gateway to the growing economies of Latin America and Asia and a city that personifies innovation in a diverse range of endeavors, UCLA Anderson's MBA, Fully Employed MBA, Executive MBA, UCLA-NUS Executive MBA, Master of Financial Engineering, Master of Science in Business Analytics, doctoral and executive education programs embody the school's Think in the Next ethos. Annually, some 1,800 students are trained to be global leaders seeking the business models and community solutions of tomorrow.

Source: GoDaddy Inc.

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