Workers Wanted: Wisconsin's Looming Crisis
Wisconsin is expected to need 45,000 workers in seven years but it simply lacks the people to fill them. Even now, employers complain they can't fill high-need jobs — many of them low-income but some in nursing, IT and the sciences that pay better than the state median.Â
Our Workers Wanted series explores the causes and implications of this looming workforce crisis.
(10) updates to this series since Updated
Employers seeking more qualified workers are encouraging more career-based learning opportunities in schools.
Gov. Scott Walker has shifted the state's focus from job creation to workforce development, but critics say the focus is still on the needs of businesses, rather than of workers.
At Jamf Software in Eau Claire, creating a welcoming environment for employees extends into the community.
To attract more residents, Wisconsin is seeking to bolster its image as a place where innovation happens.
As automation increases, manual labor jobs are going away, and the new jobs that replace them require more education.
As older Americans who consume more health care grow in number, the demand for health care workers is growing.
With unemployment near a record low and more baby boomers retiring, Wisconsin faces a looming worker crisis.
As Wisconsin employers scramble to find both skilled and unskilled workers, many are wondering how Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn will be able fill the 13,000 jobs it has promised for a new electronics factory in southeastern Wisconsin.
Monroe-based Klondike Cheese has raised its starting pay from $10 to $13 an hour, but still can't keep employees.
Brett Rechek has handed out his card to restaurant servers because good employees are harder to find.
As of March, the unemployment rate was 3.8% — near the 3.5% rate in February 2020.
Wisconsin's current rate remains below the national average of 6.1%.
On Monday, enhanced federal unemployment benefits — which provide unemployed people an additional $300 in weekly benefits — will come to a close.
A new report from Wisconsin's largest business organization suggests policymakers explore increased talent attraction and tax reforms to address persistent labor shortage concerns among state business owners.
At the same time, results are varied on how many jobs, if any, have been created by Wisconsin’s 6-year-old manufacturing tax credit.
