Minnsights Blog

Recently, the Minnesota Chamber held its annual Women in Business Conference, this year featuring the new CEO of the Minnesota State Fair, Renee Alexander!

Demographic and migration trends have created a chronically tight labor market in Minnesota. While this presents a challenge for businesses, it also provides a unique opportunity for employers to expand their hiring strategies and tap into new talent pools that they have not traditionally accessed. These hidden talent pools can bring significant value to businesses, but they may be difficult for employers to locate, train, and retain. To bridge this gap, Minnesota’s community-based workforce service providers offer programs that equip unemployed or underemployed workers with the necessary skills and support to develop life changing careers while adding value to the state's economy.  

The Minnesota Chamber tracks hundreds of bills during each legislative session, to ensure that policymakers understand how their proposals impact Minnesota’s economy and the state’s ability to make Minnesota a more affordable place to live, work, grow and expand a business. The Chamber scores votes on bills or amendments that illustrate this impact. The following votes were cast in the 2023 legislative session.

The gap between available jobs and available talent in Minnesota is growing. While Minnesota’s negative migration trends have widened this gap, the primary driving force is a reality we share with the rest of the country. An ageing population has caused the number of workers leaving the workforce to significantly outpace the number entering. 

At the Minnesota Chamber's recent Chamber Day at the Capitol, key legislators discussed many of the policy issues facing the business community, including tax increases, paid leave mandates and the cost of doing business.