Accelerate private-sector workforce efforts to help employers attract and retain the skilled workers they need to compete.

Minnesota is facing a workforce shortage in nearly every sector of the economy, while record levels of Minnesotans are claiming unemployment insurance and we continue to emerge from the effects of the pandemic. While this shortage pre-dates the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for greater numbers of skilled workers continues to accelerate. The immediate needs of a post-COVID-19 crisis response – rapid rehiring, nimble retraining and swift upskilling – are at the forefront of workforce development discussions. Employers are doing their part in offering on-the-job training and professional development as well as education benefits such as tuition assistance. Policymakers can either advance policies that stimulate workforce participation and enhance our economic recovery – or stifle it.