Last week we released our report exploring how the pandemic has impacted jobs and the workforce in Rural Minnesota. And on this episode, we get to dive in a bit deeper into this topic with a couple of our Workforce Development Boards and a labor analyst with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development ...
By Kelly Asche, Research associate & Marnie Werner, VP Research This week the Center is released a new report on the state of rural Minnesota’s workforce. In 2019, we assembled a four-part series on rural Minnesota’s worker shortage, it’s impact on economic growth in Greater Minnesota, and what rural communities are doing about the problem. ...
Pandemic paints a different employment picture in rural Minnesota January 2021 By Kelly Asche, Research Associate, & Marnie Werner, Director of Research For a printable version of this report, click here. Our podcast episode diving deeper into this research can be found here. To read our previous research on rural workforce shortages, click here. During ...
Today marks the start of the 2021 MN Legislative Session. A session that will likely be very different than any other legislative session since it will begin and likely remain an online affair. Our CEO, Julie Tesch got an opportunity to chat with Scott McMahon, the Executive Director of the Greater Minnesota Partnership about the ...
Here’s to blue skies ahead in 2021. By Marnie Werner, VP of Research & Operations Okay, it’s been a crazy year, right? Who would have imagined on January 1 of 2020 all the things we’ve been through by Dec. 31? For many of us, it was a sad, frustrating year. All our personal plans ...
Rural communities across Minnesota are tapping a new program to help bring a fresh set of ideas to their community development toolbox. Offered in partnership by Rethos and Springboard for the Arts, staff from these organizations will come and assist communities in planning and implementing artist-led projects. Assistance comes in the form of training, one-on-one ...
On our blog two weeks ago, we talked about looking forward, not only because it’s the end of the year and that’s what people do—they review the past year and look ahead to the year to come—but because the end of the pandemic is in sight. We can start to look to the great beyond. ...
Kathy Draeger, the statewide Director of the University of Minnesota Extension – Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, wants rural communities to see their local grocery stores as the assets they are. Small town grocery stores have been facing an uphill battle against increasing competition from the big national chains. In this interview, Kathy and Julie will ...
It’s the beginning of December, in one month 2020 will finally be over, and the 2021 legislature will begin looking at a Minnesota beyond COVID. Yes, there are still many current COVID issues that will need to be addressed: supporting people out of work and the small businesses that employed them, shoring up our ...