The link between wages and productivity is currently one of the most hotly contested issues in political economy. The evidence shows, in fact, that the link holds. To raise wages,…
If localities are permitted to set their own minimum wage rate above the state rate, why should they not also be free to set one below it?
The way the teacher pay debate has been framed misses the mark.
The new soup du jour of liberal talking points appears to be that the current economy isn't very good at all because many of the jobs that are currently being…
Minnesota's youth employment ratio has declined more than the national rate since 2000; minimum wages have been found to disproportionately impact youth employment; and our minimum wage has been especially…
Our new report on Minnesota's Workforce to 2050 asks what our state's policymakers can do to help alleviate the coming fall in the labor force.
This op ed appeared in the Duluth News Tribune on November 1st, 2019 In a column on Twin Metals’ planned sulfide ore copper mine (Local View: “Arrowhead better served without…
Manufacturing in Minnesota is a bit of a success story and much of that is down to lower than average taxes. They helped the state weather the 'China Shock' comparatively…
1.3 million Minnesotans of working age are not in the labor force. 94% of them are cool with that, mostly because they are retired. Finding ways to get them into…
In July 2018, Minnesota's unemployment rate was the 8th lowest in the United States. In July 2019, that was down to 16th.
Minnesota leads other states on population growth and unemployment growth, but lags on job growth
A new study finds that Minnesota ranks 4th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for most expensive infant care. Child care expenses are a real problem for…
In the year from June 2018 to June 2019, Minnesota ranked 17th nationally for population growth, 34th nationally for employment growth, and 1st nationally both for the increase in the…
And that’s a problem.
The future of mining in Minnesota looks even brighter today as Twin Metals Minnesota announced they will protect Minnesota’s water resources at their planned copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota by…
Mining workers earn more because their jobs are much more capital intensive than jobs in the leisure industry.
Northern Minnesotans are told to get tourism jobs. That might be an option in July, but what do they do in January?
The average annual salary for Leisure and hospitality jobs in St. Louis County was just $16,904 in 2018. For Metal ore mining jobs, it was $98,954.
The decline of teen employment doesn't just exacerbate the challenges Minnesota's aging population poses, it postpones the accumulation of 'soft skills' which will help these kids throughout their working lives.
Data show that Minnesota's state tax revenues are at near record highs. So why are lawmakers trying to raise your taxes?
"MN jobless rate ticks up to 3.1 percent; jobs down from a year ago"; "Snow, cold wiped out nearly 9,000 Minnesota jobs last month, may signal a bigger turn"; "Aging…
The rate of unionization in Minnesota for state-level employees is now about 98 percent; the rate for municipal employees is about 54 percent, one of the highest rates in the…
The “gender wage gap” is as real as unicorns and has been killed more times than Michael Myers.
We often hear from so-called progressives that we must fight income inequality and move toward renewable energy, but the problem is these two goals are incompatible with each other. This is…