Issue Position: On the Economy

Issue Position

We are facing a decline in the in-migration workforce at the same time as the current workforce is aging out. We are getting older as a state. Unemployment is very low at this time, but many of those jobs are in the service industry, where wages are lower. Economic indicators regarding future trends, such as cost of housing, student debt load, cost of energy, and cost of health care, are areas where we do not fare well and will require some serious attention as we plan for the future. We need to create higher paying jobs. Manufacturing has always been one of the strongest drivers of our economy and now government jobs and jobs in the area of health care are joining manufacturing as important areas. In addition, the so-called creative economy is beginning to play an important role in the state. These jobs are in the area of creation and dissemination of information. Attracting workers in this area is going to be important for us here. These people are usually educated, young-ish and have children. They are the faces of our future.

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