Jobs and Skills Publications

This report makes the case for a higher minimum wage in Wisconsin. Though the July 23, 2009, increase of the federal and state minimum wage to $7.25 will put money in the pockets of 196,000 Wisconsin working adults. A proposal by state leaders to increase the state minimum to $7.60 and index it annually to inflation would bring higher wages to some 316,000 workers and put $108 million dollars into the economy.

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This article, published in the International Labor Brief of the Korea Labor Institute, discusses the formation of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/BIG STEP, its maturation as a key labor market intermediary in the Milwaukee regional economy, and how it is faring in the current economic crisis.

Documents include original and English Translation.

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The Clean Energy Corp will be a combined service, training, and job creation effort to combat global warming, grow local and regional economies and demonstrate the equity and employment promise of the clean energy economy. Documents include Full Report and Executive Summary.

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Education and skills will be the cornerstone of competitiveness for Wisconsin.  Leaders throughout the state and its southeastern region, known as the Milwaukee 7 (M7),  are working in new ways to build the skills of the workforce and to ensure that regional employers have the employee and skill base they need.  Research laid out in this report, conducted over the summer of 2008, is intended to help strengthen these efforts by providing more information on a key population in need of skills—adult basic education (ABE) students—and offering some insights on student perceptions of their own skills, the labor market, and the training they need to move ahead.  Further, the report provides more detailed information on the broader population of low-wage working adults in the M7 region. The conclusion offers some policy suggestions that would help enhance the advancement prospects of regional ABE students.

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This report provides a detailed picture of the region’s health care workforce, offering for the first time representative information from hospitals throughout the South Central/Southwest region.

Documents include Full Report and Response (Janice K. Bultema, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics).

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The State of Working Wisconsin 2008, a biennial report on how the state and its workers are faring. Documents include Full Report and Summary.

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Co-released by the COWS and the Wisconsin Women’s Council, finds that Wisconsin women of all ages and education experience a substantial and persistent gender wage gap – earning only about 78 cents on the dollar compared with men. A COWS Spotlight Report.

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Two interconnected challenges are colliding in Wisconsin with potentially dire consequences for families and businesses. Demographic and workforce shifts are resulting in shortages of skilled workers for many industries, while at the same time many Wisconsinites aren’t receiving the education and training necessary to land a decent job with family-sustaining wages. COWS report, Skilled Workers, Quality Jobs: Meeting the Needs of Wisconsin’s Workers and Businesses, addresses these two interrelated challenges and makes a series of policy recommendations to address them.

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Chapter 9 in Retooling for Growth: Building a 21st Century Economy in America’s Older Industrial Areas, Richard M. McGahey and Jennifer S. Vey editors.

Assume that we want an economy of shared prosperity, good jobs, and the competitive practices that sustain them. We want that in all conceivable sectors of the economy. Why not in manufacturing?

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Developed by COWS for Regional Industry Skills Education (RISE) Partnership, Key Middle-Skill Opportunities in Wisconsin provides a detailed look at projected job opportunities and wages in well-paying occupations that typically do not require a 4-year college degree.

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