Labor market Pine Journal: Twin Ports area leads Minnesota with highest annual job growth rate Marshall Radio: MN Adds Jobs In August, Unemployment Drops Hometown Focus: Job growth continues in…
After years of rent control and billions poured into affordable housing, California lawmakers are finally realizing that the only way to make housing affordable is to build more homes. On…
The Fight for 15 Wages were up last month, but owing to inflation, they’ll buy less. In real terms, people are worse off. Last week, Noah Smith wrote for Bloomberg:…
One of the questions of economics teaches you to ask is ‘compared to what?’ Someone might tell you that a job paying $10 an hour is bad, but any reasonable…
Shortage of housing is one of the biggest issues facing most metros. But according to the Star Tribune, the Twin Cities have it worse than all regions in the nation.…
Economic development Hometown Focus: Business, infrastructure, and trail projects receive economic development funding Minn Post: The Iron Range may soon be home to one of the largest solar panel manufacturing…
According to data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Minnesota’s unemployment rate is down to 3.8 percent. This is the country’s 12th-lowest unemployment rate, and 1.4…
This week is National Small Business Week. And to celebrate small businesses, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has planned several events. From September 13 – 15th of…
The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) published a study in February this year estimating how Rent Stabilization (RS) — a form of rent control that allows landlords to raise…
On August 25, the St. Paul City Council added 10 years to a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District that funds development around Allianz Field. The new district, named ‘Snelling Midway…
State and local taxes and spending KAAL TV: Gov. Walz announces allocation of $103 million of federal money Brainerd Dispatch: Area cities receive DEED grants Star Tribune: Minnesota keeps top…
Even though both theory and evidence show that rent control is bad public policy, Minneapolis’ city council continues to pursue it as a solution to the city’s shortage of affordable…
As the new school year starts, schools are facing what has been a familiar issue to most businesses over the last couple of months — a worker shortage. School districts in…
Last week, The Globe carried a story titled ‘Southwest Minnesota sees labor shortage, including Nobles County‘: The numbers in southwest Minnesota still add up to a labor shortage, the Nobles…
Labor market The Globe: Southwest Minnesota sees labor shortage, including Nobles County KRFO: Rochester area jobless rate returns to pre-pandemic levels Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: Economic recovery yielding positive trends…
On August 17, Boston magazine asked, ‘Will We Ever Solve the Childcare Crisis?‘ The article explained, We live in one of the most innovative and progressive regions in the country—not to…
Economic growth St. Peter Herald: Minnesota’s clean-energy jobs rebound from COVID punch WIZM: Some rural bankers worried drought will threaten operations, including in Minnesota Bemidji Pioneer: Other View: Federal infrastructure…
In my Star Tribune op-ed ‘Minnesota, we have a problem‘ last month, I mentioned our state’s racial disparities. Among others, I mentioned the disparity in homeownership rates specifically. In June,…
Recently, the Golden Valley City Council passed a law to restrict payday lending. The Golden Valley City Council took action Aug. 17 to safeguard its community against “predatory lenders” via…
When I wrote in the Star Tribune in April that ‘enhanced’ unemployment benefits were one factor explaining the puzzle of record job openings coexisting with elevated levels of unemployment, not everyone agreed. One response claimed…
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how President Biden’s proposed corporate tax hike will be bad for Minnesota businesses. The proposal, to raise the corporate tax rate from…
The Trump administration was punctuated by a string of “explosive” books — mostly composed of unsourced tittle-tattle — which were published, “exploded,” and disappeared. You’re Hired! Untold Successes and Failures…
On Aug. 16, the Star Tribune reported that, with just a week until the state Fair opening, vendors were having a hard time attracting workers. With the Minnesota State Fair…
Labor market Bloomberg Tax: Minnesota’s Hourly Minimum Wages Expected to Rise in 2022 Star Tribune: Minnesota State Fair and its vendors scramble to find workers Star Tribune: Red Wing Shoes,…