Minnesota Still Outperforming “Right to Work” Wisconsin

by | Apr 4, 2018

For most of the last decade, earnings in Minnesota and Wisconsin grew at a similar pace—until 2015. In that year, Wisconsin adopted its so-called “right to work” (RTW) law. Since then, earnings growth in Wisconsin slowed relative to Minnesota. In 2017, the average...

Minnesota thrives, Rauner fails on jobs

by | Feb 12, 2018

The following is a guest commentary that recently appeared in the The State Journal Register of Springfield, Illinois.   The numbers tell a harsh story: since Gov. Bruce Rauner came to office in January 2015, Illinois has been one of only four states nationwide...

When Equal Unemployment Rates Are Not Equal

by | Dec 15, 2017

Minnesota and Wisconsin currently enjoy low unemployment rates relative to the rest of the nation. In addition, both states enjoyed an above average decline in unemployment rates since the beginning of the Great Recession. However, this does not mean that the...

Job Vacancy Wages Don’t Meet Basic Needs

by | Jul 24, 2017

The wages offered for most job vacancies in Minnesota are not sufficient to meet the basic needs of a typical family, according to the 2017 Minnesota Cost of Living Study prepared by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The preceding...

44 Percent of Jobs Don’t Meet Basic Needs

by | Jul 17, 2017

The median job wage in Minnesota pays only modestly more than what is needed to meet basic needs for a small family, according the 2017 Minnesota Cost of Living Study prepared by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). There is...