Forward Janesville - TheReport - Third Quarter 2021

SUE CONLEY • State Representative, 44th Assembly District You have likely heard the term “sellers’ market” used in relation to the real estate market. Similarly, we are now experiencing a “workers’ market” in relation to employment. There are currently more jobs available than workers, and those workers have the opportunity to be selective about the jobs they accept. However, workers face barriers to employment that remain unaddressed, such as a lack of transportation and affordable childcare options. To help unemployed individuals return to the workforce, we need to address these underlying problems. It is critical that parents have access to high-quality childcare so they can return to work with confidence that their children are safe and engaged throughout the day. You may have also heard of the “brain drain” Wisconsin is experiencing. Talented, educated workers are leaving Wisconsin for better opportunities elsewhere. We are not doing nearly enough to keep these workers in our state or to attract new talent to come live and work in Wisconsin. We need to create communities where people, especially young families, want to live. To do that, we need to focus on high- quality public education, investing in our roads and infrastructure, and bringing new green technology jobs of the future to Wisconsin. Governor Evers’ original biennial budget included a number of investments in our workforce, but unfortunately my Republican colleagues removed these investments. Governor Evers has also allocated federal dollars to be used for several state grant programs to help entrepreneurs, small businesses, restaurants, hotels, arts organizations, tourism, agriculture, childcare centers, nonprofits and more. Workers need jobs that pay a living wage, and I believe we must focus on creating policies that support Wisconsin’s workers, families, and build a stronger middle class. REPRESENTATIVE VIEW How can the state can help solve workforce issues and get various industries back on track? Sue Conley AMY LOUDENBECK • State Representative, 31st Assembly District Help wanted signs across many industry sectors can largely be attributed to a demographics problem that has been compounded by the skills gap and a global pandemic. In order to improve our long-term workforce outlook, Wisconsin needs to attract and retain young individuals and families at a greater rate than we are losing baby boomers to retirement and warmer climates. We also must prepare our students for meaningful employment in our state after they complete their studies. Since 2013, Wisconsin has been implementing innovative workforce policies with an increased focus on academic and career planning and significant investments in Career and Technical Education grants at the high school level. We continue to build on successful programs, such as vocational rehabilitation, youth apprenticeship, and programs to help veterans return to the civilian workforce. We have also been chipping away at the overall tax burden in our state to make it a more desirable place to live and work. Wisconsin has a relatively low cost of living and high quality of life compared to other states, but taxes matter too when people are deciding where to put down roots. We can’t take our eye off the ball, even in uncertain times. We need to resurrect a talent attraction initiative that has been dormant for the last couple of years. The latest state biennial budget set aside $3 million for outreach to targeted cities, as well as military bases to reach soon-to-be retiring members. Another strategy that has been talked about for years, but never truly implemented, is a robust program to connect University of Wisconsin System alumni living out of state with information and opportunities available to them if they were to return to Wisconsin. Some type of partnership would need to be established to lay the groundwork for this and make sure it is property resourced for long-term results. Amy Loudenbeck 8 • W W W . F O R W A R D J A N E S V I L L E . C O M