State of Working Wisconsin
For more than two decades, the State of Working Wisconsin has presented the workers’ perspective on the economy in the state: who is winning, and who is being left out; where is disparity growing; and what’s happening to the economic chasm separating Black and white workers in the state.
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A New "Tradition"
Women and people of color face unique barriers in "nontraditional” jobs. How do we make these industries more open and inclusive?
The Crisis in Milwaukee’s Service Industry
There’s a crisis in service work in Milwaukee. Too many of these jobs offer low wages, inadequate and unpredictable hours, and weak or non-existent benefits packages.
Access to Paid Leave
COVID-19 has created a window of opportunity for advancing paid leave.
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COWS in the News
As demand rises, wages for Wisconsin home care workers stagnate
“These public programs have really choked the wages in a lot of ways,” said Laura Dresser, a labor economist and associate director of UW-Madison think tank COWS who has spent decades studying low-wage work. “It’s …
April 13, 2022What does record-low unemployment mean for Wisconsin? Experts weigh in
“The economy has a lot of jobs and this gives workers more leverage than they’ve had in a while. There’s some evidence that the strongest wage increases are happening in our lowest wage sectors,” Laura …
February 15, 2022The Great Female Resignation: Why so many women left their jobs when the COVID-19 pandemic hit
“The intensity of that collapse is truly historic,” labor economist Laura Dresser said.
February 9, 2022- More