Wisconsin Economy Publications

This report details the discrepancy between Wisconsin’s current job numbers and those Wisconsin would have achieved had it mirrored national trends.

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This fact sheet from COWS and the Wisconsin Women’s Council, released in honor of National Pay Equity Day, shows that despite the growing importance of women’s contribution to the labor force and to household incomes, the gender wage gap stubbornly persists irrespective of age, race, or level of education. In 2010, Wisconsin women earned, on average, only 77.8 cents for every dollar earned by men.

The Wisconsin gap, while significant, is slightly smaller than in 2009 when women earned just 75 cents for each dollar earned by men. Nationally, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research has reported that the decline in the wage gap is mostly due to falling wages for men.

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Toward College Success for Working Adults provides a clearer picture of the educational trajectory of low-skill adults in the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). The analysis presents statewide results from a pipeline data study on transition rates, enrollment, and diploma and degree completion for adults accessing a wide variety of basic skills and postsecondary courses and programs at WTCS. This knowledge can help colleges design programs and services that turn more workers into successful college graduates.

Documents include Full Report and Executive Summary.

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Developed by COWS for Regional Industry Skills Education (RISE), 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 four-year college degree.

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Developed by COWS for Regional Industry Skills Education (RISE), Wisconsin RISE Target Population breaks down demographically those individuals who could use higher skills and better wages.

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The State of Working Wisconsin – Update 2011 provides data on the unemployed and underemployed in the state.

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This report summarizes some of the major changes included in the 2011-2013 Wisconsin budget affecting jobs, job quality, and economic development, along with a few other Governor Scott Walker initiatives.

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The Wisconsin Values Budget is a balanced approach to our fiscal challenges that demonstrates Governor Scott Walker’s choices are not necessary choices. Through sacrifice that is fairly shared, and by building on Wisconsin’s history of progressive innovation, we can maintain and further improve public structures that work for everyone. The Wisconsin Values Budget, unlike the governor’s “cuts only” approach, begins again to truly share the burden of creating a dynamic and prosperous economy that promotes opportunity, security, and freedom for all Wisconsinites.

Lead Sponsors: Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, COWS.

Documents include long version (4 page) or short version (1 page) describing this alternative budget plan.

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COWS offers data on public-sector workers — their pay relative to the private-sector workforce, the size of Wisconsin’s public workforce over time, and analysis of what the wage reductions in the 2011-13 budget will cost different public workers — and data on the most most important cause of the state’s budget deficit: declining revenue due to the Great Recession.

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