When you point out the phenomenon of lots of job openings coexisting with elevated numbers of people unemployed, a common response is, “Well, they should just pay them more.” Well,…
The strong economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession is threatened by constraints on the supply side of the economy. Among these, though certainly not the only one, is a labor…
The April jobs report, issued on Friday, showed that, across the United States, employers added just 266,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate ticked up to 6.1 percent. This…
As the pandemic passes and national and state economies reopen, what is in store for the economy? Some basic macroeconomics might tell us. Theory The macroeconomics of a pandemic When…
This op-ed appeared in the Star Tribune on April 28th, 2021 As Minnesota’s economy slowly begins to recover from COVID-19 and the measures taken by state government to fight it,…
Minnesota’s unemployment rate ticks down in March; Logging, mining shows strength – International Falls Journal Unemployment rates fall statewide for third month in a row – KAAL TV Unemployment rate…
Last week, I wrote about how increased unemployment benefits are preventing employers from hiring. This isn’t just a problem for Minnesota or for specific industries. As the Wall Street Journal reports:…
WJON reports: After being forced to shut down for several months last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the big challenge facing bars and restaurants now is finding enough workers to…
At a rountable last Friday, Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced its aim of marketing the state as the premier hub to launch a new business. “We…
This week, it was announced that US News had ranked Minnesota the 2nd best state in America. State policymakers were quick to crow. Gov. Walz put out this press release:…
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, the minimum wage workforce was mostly made up of young, low-skilled workers with low levels of education. Additionally, most minimum wage workers…
The problem is not that Minnesota's politicians don't get enough of your money to spend, it is that they spend the huge amount they do get badly.
Comparing border counties reveals the real impact of Minnesota’s economic policies.
How collective bargaining shields wayward public employees.
According to new BLS data, Minnesota had the third-highest number of job losses in the country only surpassed by Michigan and California.
It’s a simple fact that income levels in most low-cost states cannot support a $15 minimum wage.
How mining will bring even greater prosperity to Minnesota.
Data shows that Minnesota is one of the top worst-performing states when it comes to entrepreneurship and new business creation.
The minimum wage labor force continues to make up a tiny and shrinking population of the workforce. Additionally, minimum wage workers tend to be young, less likely to be married…
New BLS data show that businesses with low paying jobs, unlike those with high paying jobs, were more likely to tell workers not to work and also not have telework…
Thanks to government-mandated restrictions, new BLS data shows that recovery in the job market is continuing to slow down.
The fact that we do so well on business survival rates should tell us that the Minnesota economy can benefit greatly from an increased rate of business formation.
Given the fact that Minnesota has historically performed poorly when it comes to business formation, changes need to be made if the state is to capitalize on the recent growth…
One argument against the "one-size-fits-all" approach to public policy is the fact that it does not take into account differences in individual choices and risk, meaning suboptimal results for some…