Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/tag/employment/page/5/)
I sleep with Puter and Lator every night. Neither one of them initiate contact, I always do–but as a heterosexual male, that is a familiar role for me. It’s not that Puter is cold, she really runs hot, but she is not in the habit of reaching out. I am always touching her, in repetitive ways, I might add. I really don’t consider myself a bigamist and Puter and Lator get along quite well–they have what you might call a symbiotic relationship. Continue Reading
This is perhaps the first time in Minnesota history (with the possible exception of the Great Depression) that the unemployment level has surpassed 200,000. The total number of unemployed Minnesota workers actively seeking work in December hit 202,800, surpassing the previous monthly high of 195,843 set in November of 1982. State unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics extends back to 1976. With the exception of the current decade, Minnesota unemployment dropped below 100,000 for at least a few months during each of the economic recoveries of the last thirty years. However, during the tepid recovery prior to the current recession, unemployment never dropped below 110,000. Continue Reading
When employees at St. Paul’s Minnesota WorkForce Center are working harder than usual, that means a lot of people aren’t working — and according to Site Manager Jim Schultz, the slumping economy is keeping them as busy as ever. “In terms of people coming in, we see the gamut from entry-level people that lack their GED or high school diploma as well as highly educated people with masters and even a few doctorate degrees,” Schultz said. Schultz’s facility is one of 47 workforce centers across the state established by the Department of Employment and Economic Development as a way to help bolster the state’s labor market. The centers provide unemployed workers with free access to a variety of training opportunities and resources to help them find new jobs and expand their career options. Continue Reading
“This is a terrible time to be a parent of young adult children,” my friend told me at lunch in St. Paul a few weeks ago. “You tell them to study hard and work hard to get ahead — and then when they graduate, there’s nothing.” A reader writing to the New York Times echoed her feelings: “We have GOT to get the twenty somethings jobs. The kids around here are getting really desperate, and they can’t even get into the classes they need at colleges right now with the budget cuts to universities.” Continue Reading
The Department of Employment and Economic Development released Minnesota job information today and it was more bad news. Minnesota’s unemployment rate jumped up one half percent from 5.9 percent in October to 6.4 percent in November. This is the highest unemployment rate in Minnesota since the first half of 1984. The number of unemployed in Minnesota reached 188,925, the highest level since March of 1983. State Economist Tom Stinson has predicted that Minnesota could lose as many as 50,000 jobs over the next year as the recession deepens. Continue Reading
Minnesota’s unemployment rate is going up. The unemployment compensation trust fund will most likely go into deficit during the first quarter of 2010, according to Lee Nelson, the Chief Attorney for the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). New York Times, 12/15/08: States’ funds for jobless are drying up NYT graphic shows MN funds drying up within eight months. The October seasonally adjusted percentage of unemployed Minnesotans is 6.0%, up from 4.6% in October 2007, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). In October, statewide claims increased by 31.1% from a year ago. Continue Reading
Note to the community: Don’t get “Befuddled” by the celebratory status of a few politicians – ask the questions that need to be asked! According to Rep. Ellsion’s Son, North Minneapolis should look different and be doing a lot better….Mmmmm
The Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases.Abraham Lincoln: “You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. Continue Reading
Panic-invoked efforts in Washington to bail out financial institutions in New York are missing the structural weaknesses of the Minnesota economy by a country mile.That becomes clear from responses to a Minnesota 2020 request a week ago to hear how the nation’s financial crisis is affecting families, jobs, businesses and quality of life in Minnesota. One unemployed Minneapolis resident sent in his resume. He formerly worked as sales representatives for consumer, food and hair product companies that are seemingly distant from the housing and finance markets. A southern Minnesota schoolteacher is considering a career change, with possible commutes to Rochester, to access more affordable family health insurance. Her family’s purchasing power is shrinking fast, and she’s spending $800 from the household budget to buy supplies for her classroom. Continue Reading
America is in a financial market meltdown. It’s spilling over on Minnesota, and it means capital formation may be difficult for all business models and types of enterprise – here and everywhere. That makes it all the more timely to explore underutilized ways to raise capital and draw on strengths of workers, be they basic laborers or professional experts. Any Minnesota attempt to explore new tools for economic development should look at employee ownership as a viable option in some circumstance, and the people of Ohio already have good book on how to make it work. Minnesota 2020 discussed a couple of new options for spurring economic development in a report a week ago. Continue Reading
Minnesota’s unemployment rate hit 6.2 percent in August, marking the highest unemployment rate in the state in more than 22 years when the rate hit 6.3 percent in December of 1985. The last time that the state’s unemployment was as high as it was in August, we could at least brag that our unemployment rate was significantly below the national average. Unfortunately, in our current situation even this consolation prize eludes us. In August 2008, Minnesota’s unemployment rate was 0.1 percent above the national average. This marks the second consecutive month in which the Minnesota unemployment rate exceeded the national average. Continue Reading