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.

Minnesota business leaders are struggling with workforce challenges, making the engagement of underrepresented demographics in the workforce an economic imperative. Hear from a Minnesota business leader on the workforce barriers they’ve identified and the community partnerships and innovative solutions they’ve developed to attract, support and retain immigrants.

Small businesses are a critical driver of Minnesota’s economy. The state has over 500,000 small businesses that together employ over 1.3 million Minnesotans.