“Workers are seizing the opportunity provided by tight labor markets to find better jobs or improve the ones they are staying in,” COWS associate director Laura Dresser said in a press release.
Year: 2023
All In: Student Pathways Forward featuring Laura Dresser
In this episode, host Marc Goldberg interviews Tillamook Bay Community College graduate and current college Success Coach and adjunct welding faculty Jude Schlotzhauer, college President Dr. Ross Tomlin and Laura Dresser, associate director at COWS, a research center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin has seen record-low unemployment for over a year. What does that mean for workers?
Beyond wages, Laura Dresser, associate director of the COWS economic think tank at UW-Madison, said the tight labor market also gives workers more leverage to negotiate with their employers for more flexible hours or to …
Obstacles to Participating in the Workforce
As Goes Wisconsin welcomes Laura Dresser, associate director of COWS, to talk about the obstacles people face when it comes to being a part of the workforce and what policies could actually fix that. Listen …
Labor Spring has sprung!
Happy Labor Spring! This month, in celebration of workers and worker organizing efforts happening in Wisconsin and across the country, we have exciting updates to share on Labor Spring activities supported by COWS and our partners.
Wisconsin ‘prime working age’ labor force participation among best in the nation
Laura Dresser, associate director of the COWS economic think tank at UW-Madison, said women in the workforce feel the effects of that most. “Moms tend to carry the burden of care disproportionately in families,” she …
This Is Good News For Workers
A low unemployment rate is certainly good news for people looking for a job, but today’s guest says “it matters for all workers, because when the line at the door is short, it means they …
Wisconsin businesses want more workers, but barriers prevent many from joining the labor force
Laura Dresser, associate director of the COWS economic think tank at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said another approach could be addressing the issues that prevent people from joining the workforce, like child care, transportation and …
Report finds more than 40% of Milwaukeeans are working ‘bad jobs’
Laura Dresser, the associate director of COWS, says, “What you’re really seeing is what’s going on in the bottom of the labor market is quite substantially different from what’s going on in better jobs.” What …
41% of Milwaukee Workers Have ‘Bad’ Jobs
“Milwaukee has become a center of low-wage workers,” says Peter Rickman, President of MASH, the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization, which partnered with COWS on the study. “It was once one of the …