Dresser shares her perspective on demographic trends affecting the workforce, as more workers age out than the number joining the labor market. This issue is particularly significant in rural parts of Wisconsin, the report notes. …
In the News
New Report Shows Improved Employee Power in Wisconsin
A recent workforce study from a UW policy institute says that conditions have broadly improved for Wisconsin workers. We speak with the associate director of the UW-Madison think tank COWS about how national labor trends …
From Cooks to Nurses, Wisconsinites are Organizing for Better Work
Dresser, whose organization recently published the 2022 edition of its “State of Working Wisconsin” report, pointed to the spike in union activity as “the forefront” of a wider surge in labor organizing that also includes non-unionized workers …
Union Organizers Share their Experiences as the Economy Shows Workers their Power
“It isn’t a time of retreat from work, it is a time of engagement and workers taking this moment to recognize the power they have,” said labor economist Laura Dresser, associate director of COWS and …
COWS Report Shows Progress in Reducing Wage Disparities
A new report from a UW-Madison think tank shows wage growth in the past two years has helped to close some of the state’s “pronounced racial and ethnic disparities.”
Report: Wages, Union Organizing Rise in Wisconsin as Workers Demand Better Conditions
“If I was going to pick a single year to think of the best possible picture for workers in this century, I would pick this year,” said Laura Dresser, a professor in the UW-Madison Sandra …
Editorial | The State of Working Wisconsin is Actually Quite Good
The authoritative measure of Wisconsin’s economic circumstance suggests that we actually have something to celebrate this Labor Day. Indeed, according to the State of Working Wisconsin report from the UW-Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), …
Job Fair Targets a Rarity in the Tech Industry: Women
Dresser said there are ways tech companies can be more deliberate about diversifying their talent pools, including leadership positions. They can provide child care supports, she said, and structure roles around the individual candidate’s strengths …
As demand rises, wages for Wisconsin home care workers stagnate
“These public programs have really choked the wages in a lot of ways,” said Laura Dresser, a labor economist and associate director of UW-Madison think tank COWS who has spent decades studying low-wage work. “It’s …
What does record-low unemployment mean for Wisconsin? Experts weigh in
“The economy has a lot of jobs and this gives workers more leverage than they’ve had in a while. There’s some evidence that the strongest wage increases are happening in our lowest wage sectors,” Laura …