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Mackey, M., S. Peterson, and J. Topp. Vital Signs: Measuring the Vitality of the South Wood County Area. COWS, 2012.
COWS developed Vital Signs, a regional economic review for the Incourage Community Foundation. This economic analysis summarizes the most recent data to help focus discussions and decision-making on economic opportunity in the South Wood County Area. From schools to employers, wages to social supports, and employment to homelessness, COWS offers data that builds a picture of where South Wood County is, and where it needs to improve.
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Cociña, M., L. Dresser, E. Navot, and J. Rogers. The State of Working Wisconsin 2012. COWS, 2012.
The ninth edition of COWS’ biennial report, The State of Working Wisconsin 2012uses the best and most recent data available to refine our understanding of exactly how working people in Wisconsin are doing. This year’s Labor Day report finds too many workers in Wisconsin waiting for an economic recovery strong enough to produce jobs, higher family income, and a growing sense of security.
For the first time this year, COWS is also including an online supplement to the print version. The supplement provides more maps, more data, and interactive graphs on key economic and social indicators at the state and county level. The online supplement will be updated as new data becomes available and will provide access to figures and graphs on the Wisconsin economy as they come out.
Documents include Full Report, Executive Summary and a technical note that compares the CES and QCEW, two key sources of data on employment that have caused some recent controversy.
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,. Wisconsin Jobs and Low-Income Working Families. COWS, 2012.
Wisconsin Jobs and Low-Income Working Families looks at the one in four working families in Wisconsin who struggle to get by as well as the tens of thousands of workers whose jobs provide low wages and few benefits. The report was produced by COWS as part of the Working Poor Families Project.
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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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,. Wisconsin’s Missing 64,000 Jobs: The Walker Record So Far. COWS, 2012.
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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Governor Scott Walker promised in his campaign to “create” 250,000 jobs during his first term, and his press office and the media regularly measure progress towards this goal. However, this report shows that Governor Scott Walker should not get credit (or blame) for overall jobs numbers in Wisconsin. These numbers are almost entirely driven by the national economy.
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,. Under Attack: Wisconsin’s Middle Class and the Jobs Crisis. COWS, 2011.
Co-published along with Demos, the report shows that Wisconsinites are facing a lack of good jobs, declining access to benefits, higher costs to raise children and decreasing access to post-secondary credentials, among other challenges. According to the briefing paper, these trends — combined with 2011-13 cuts to education, public worker pensions, and corporate taxes — are squeezing Wisconsin’s workers out of the middle class and moving economic opportunity and security further out of reach.
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Dresser, L. The State of Working Wisconsin - Update 2011. COWS, 2011.
The State of Working Wisconsin – Update 2011 provides data on the unemployed and underemployed in the state.
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,. Wisconsin RISE Target Population. COWS, 2011.
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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Dresser, L., E. Navot, and J. Rogers. The State of Working Wisconsin 2010. COWS, 2010.
The State of Working Wisconsin is a biennial report, produced by COWS, that offers a comprehensive review of the status of jobs and workers in Wisconsin. On alternate years, we produce a short update report instead of the full report. The State of Working Wisconsin is filled with data and analysis on jobs, wages, poverty, and income, as well as an account of economic inequality in the state.
The State of Working Wisconsin 2010 documents the impact of the Great Recession on Wisconsin workers.
Documents include Full Report and Executive Summary
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