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MinnEcon Blog

My recession was worse than your recession!

My recession was worse than your recession!

I’m in a rolling discussion with a very good local economist about whether this recession is worse than the early 1980s. I’m taking the 1980s. I think I have a pretty good case. I realize I’m dangerously close to sounding like the old guy (47) droning on about how much harder I had it (I…
by Paul Tosto

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More women as breadwinners in this economy?

The recession has hit traditionally male jobs hard. So does that mean women are bearing more of the wage earner burden? We got to thinking about that after seeing a national report arguing the recession’s left “millions of women nationwide to be the primary breadwinner” and citing federal data showing “men account for 74.2 percent…
by Paul Tosto

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Minnesota tourism: Crisis. Or not?

Here’s a question with a bunch of different answers: Is Minnesota tourism suffering or holding its own in this recession? We’ve seen a spate of local tourism-down stories and opinion pieces lately, most tied to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s push for the Travel Promotion Act, intended to raise money from parts of the U.S. travel industry…
by Paul Tosto

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Too good at farming hogs in Minnesota?

Confusing economic signals make my head hurt. So I’ve been reaching for the ibuprofen lately every time I read something on Minnesota’s hog business. One of the nation’s largest hog producing states, Minnesota is part of a crisis so big that the state ag commissioner is asking the feds to buy another $50 million in…
by Paul Tosto

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Unemployment solution: Run for office?

Melissa Hill’s been unemployed since February. But she has a plan to change that: Run for Minneapolis City Council. A source in our Public Insight Network, Hill wrote us recently: I’m holding steady with my unemployment checks and some savings but the job prospects have not been that great in my line of work so…
by Paul Tosto

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Voluntary cuts: Hennepin County meets its savings goal

Hennepin County asked its workers this spring to cut hours voluntarily and take less pay to help close a budget gap. Looks like that’s paid off. County officials say about 3,900 workers, about half its workforce, agreed to take Special Leave Without Pay through the end of the year, generating roughly $4 million in savings.…
by Paul Tosto

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Frankenomics: How will Sen. Franken vote on the economy?

Frankenomics: How will Sen. Franken vote on the economy?

Soon he’ll be the junior senator from Minnesota. So what exactly did Al Franken want to do with the economy? I could only recall him saying he wouldn’t vote for bailouts for fat cats or something like that. So let’s look back at some stuff he said/proposed in the campaign. (BIG thanks to my MPR…
by Paul Tosto

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Army cut puts 311 Minnesota plant workers on paid leave

More than 300 workers at a Fridley defense plant are now on paid leave following a “stop work” order on an Army cannon once viewed as a weapon of the future. Defense contractor BAE Systems this afternoon confirmed that about 311 workers are on paid leave as the company sorts through the Defense Department’s decision…
by Paul Tosto

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MinnEcon Indicator: A buyer’s market for Twin Cities temps?

The recession’s put hundreds of accountants and other back office people on the street in the Twin Cities. Many are seeking work through temp agencies. Now the price for that talent is falling. The St. Paul office of ACCOUNTEMPS emailed local employers recently offering deep discounts — as much as 30 percent — to employers…
by Paul Tosto

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