By most measures, the Minnesota economy is thriving. Employment is high and general-fund revenue has been exceeding projections; 2019 state income was about $24 billion. By February, we will have more complete numbers that are likely to show record employment and revenue.
In our state of 5.4 million residents, some 2.8 million people are employed in Minnesota. About 6% are self-employed and 21% are part-time employees. Four in 10 of the employed population work fewer than 39 hours in a week. The gender breakdown is 52% male and 48% female. Ethnically, nearly nine in 10 of us are white.
Mentoring connections
I have spent decades as an adult mentor to young people, some of whom are deep into their careers. Others are not. Why is it that I have so many requests from these younger friends for help in finding a new or better job so they can pay their bills?
Most of those who are struggling tell me that they believe the free-enterprise form of democratic capitalism has somehow missed them, and many are skeptical about the whole thing.
Asking for advice from those who know
I did a survey of sorts of business leaders I personally know, probing as to what they are expecting of their current and future workforce.
Here is a sample of what I learned.
1) The No. 1 quality the workforce needs is common sense. This is an ability to bring practical, sound judgments to everyday issues. It is breaking down a course of action to address sometimes complex problems that can be widely understood and acted upon.
2) Knowing one's field eventually will require workers to have an on-the-job grasp of what to do. Such specialized knowledge comes mostly through self-education. "You learn by doing," said one manufacturing CEO.