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Income and Work

Minnesota has one of the highest rates of labor force participation in the country, but that doesn’t mean that all Minnesotans are able to make ends meet. We research economic trends to understand who’s faring well in today’s economy, and who is left behind. We advocate for economic policies, particularly those that improve wages and job quality standards, so that more Minnesotans can thrive.

Research

April 2023

Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance system should be updated to meet realities of today’s workforce

Minnesota's unemployment insurance system doesn't meet the needs of today's workforce. In our brief, we examine ways the state's UI system could be strengthened so it no longer penalizes folks who work multiple jobs or face language or other barriers to completing UI applications.

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December 2021

New data show that despite improvement, many face continued hardship

The United States has made progress toward recovery from the hardships caused by the pandemic, thanks in part to strong...

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August 2021

Child Tax Credit expansions expected to make historic reductions in child poverty; Improvements should be made permanent

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 temporarily makes powerful changes to the Child Tax Credit that increase the credit amount and expand eligibility for the credit to include children and families who were previously left out. This issue brief dives deep into the impacts and why these changes should be made permanent.

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August 2021

Minnesota’s new FY 2022-23 budget takes important steps toward the recovery, falls short of transformational change

Policymakers had a critical task this session: to support and care for those struggling the most and start to build a more equitable recovery. Some important investments were made in the FY 2022-23 budget, but it ultimately fell short of what’s fully needed in this moment and for the long term.

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Income and Work Blog Posts

May 12, 2023

2023 tax conference committee weighs similarities, differences in House, Senate, Walz tax plans

This year, policymakers are considering transformational changes and long-overdue investments to make Minnesota a state...

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January 25, 2023

Child poverty declines sharply thanks to federal Child Tax Credit expansion

Thanks in part to improvements policymakers made to the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC), recent U.S. Census data show that from 2019 to 2021, child poverty fell a remarkable 59 percent. Minnesota policymakers should build on that success and create a state Child Tax Credit.

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November 09, 2022

Minnesota college students increasingly facing basic economic, mental health challenges

Minnesota should prioritize funding basic needs programs and mental health services so that every college student can succeed regardless of their income or where they live.

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October 31, 2022

Today’s high inflation highlights longer-term trend of wages not keeping up with cost of living

Into a third year of a global pandemic, many workers are struggling amidst steep inflation, and not all workers have benefitted from an improving labor market, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) workers.

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More Income & Work Blogs

Highlighted Research

workers

State of Working Minnesota: Barriers Keep Many from Making Ends Meet

Despite Minnesota's economic recovery from the Great Recession, many Minnesotans have not seen the wage growth we would expect nearly a decade later. And many people still face barriers to finding good jobs and supporting themselves and their families, according to analysis from the Economic Policy Institute. Our State of Working Minnesota report digs deeper into the data.

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