From the 1960s through the end of the 20th century the participation rate among all Americans aged 25 to 54 climbed from 64.2% in January 1948 to a peak of 84.6% in January 1999. This rise was fueled, in large part, by women entering the workforce.

Many of us remember mothers and grandmothers sharing stories of searching for employment in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s among gender segregated job postings, or being asked to leave a job or school after getting married or becoming pregnant. It’s no wonder that the labor force participation rate for women was only 32.1% in January 1948, when tracking began.

Legislation such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave women greater access to employment and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 granted equal access to schooling, and by January 1980, 60.4% of women (90.6% of men) aged 25 to 54 participated in the workforce. The proportion rose to 70.8% in January 1990 (89.6% of men), 74.6% in January 2000 (89.3% of men), dipped to 69.63% in January 2010 (80.9% of men) in the wake of the Great Recession, and recovered to 76.9% in January 2020 (86.25% of men).

Women left the workforce in greater numbers than men during the pandemic as childcare duties were shared unevenly during school and childcare shutdowns, which brings us to this week’s question. How many women have returned? In August 2022, 86.6% of men aged 25 to 54 participated in the labor force. What proportion of women aged 25 to 54 participated in the labor force this past August?

A. 87.2%
B. 74.2%
C. 54.1%
D. 77.2%
E. 68.3%

We are hiring a Community Economic Development (CED) Specialist to be part of a talented team of researchers, specialists, and educators. This new CED Specialist will provide leadership in working with communities to help better understand development opportunities through market analysis techniques and applied research, intending to foster growth and development in neighborhood, community, and downtown business districts. 

We are seeking a Community Development Educator for Milwaukee County. The Educator will support the people and communities of Milwaukee through research-based education, fostering partnerships and action, and facilitating positive impacts. We are looking for someone who can:

●Engage in the delivery of existing community development entrepreneurship education efforts (e.g. Entrepreneurship in Training Program and Entrepreneurs of Color Program);

●Build community partnerships that support educational outreach programming;

●Collaborate with local community and economic leaders to offer community economic development planning programs aimed at helping local communities and neighborhoods organize, prioritize, and achieve entrepreneurial capacity and strengthen the local economy.

We are seeking a Community Development Educator for Vernon County. The Educator will serve Vernon County and the surrounding communities by designing, delivering, and evaluating research-based educational programming and services aligned with the position's programmatic focus: building the capacity of entrepreneurs, community organizations, and coalitions. We are looking for someone who can:

●Assess local community economic development needs and develop educational responses; 

●Engage in the delivery of existing community economic development efforts related to the Rural Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Initiative; 

●Support community partners and local organizations that will build entrepreneurial capacity, bringing together strategic business and community leaders around addressing key community issues (e.g. building childcare capacity through systematic support structures).

There are about 50,000 employer businesses owned by people over 55 years old in Minnesota. Or about 50% of the businesses in the state. Not all businesses are destined to survive the departure of their founding owners and leaders. But how do we help keep the ones that could? Minnesota is not unusual; other states face the same challenge. This webinar will describe efforts at the University of Minnesota Extension to work across organizations to raise awareness among business owners and create support for business succession and transition (BST) planning in rural areas. Join us for a virtual webinar as we discuss the importance of supporting business succession planning in rural communities with guest presenter, Michael Darger.

The movement of employees to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been well-documented. Indeed, the Census Bureau recently reported that the number of people working primarily from home tripled between 2019 and 2021. This shift certainly caused hardship among some employees but was widely embraced by many others. With the World Health Organization noting that the pandemic is nearing its end, employees, businesses and communities face questions regarding the future of remote work. This webinar explores trends in remorse work and offers insights into questions about the future of remote work. 

There is still time to join one of the remaining Small Community Forums! Small Community Forums allow residents in these communities to come together, address common issues, network, share best practices, and identify strategies to address shared concerns. Representatives from many state and regional resource partners will be on hand to connect with attendees and provide guidance on specific concerns introduced during the sessions.

(Wisconsin Public Radio - 11/2/2022)

(Office of the Governor - 10/4/2022)

(OnFocus - 9/28/2022)

Digital Navigator Position to Teach Forest County Residents All About Basic Computer and Internet Skills

(WXPR - 9/21/2022)