WMC Foundation Releases Wisconsin 2035 at Annual Future Wisconsin Summit
MADISON – WMC Foundation – an affiliate of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) – unveiled its Wisconsin 2035 report on Thursday at the annual Future Wisconsin Summit. The report is an economic blueprint for the state to be successful over the next 15 years and beyond.
Over the first half of 2021, WMC Foundation met with and interviewed more than 80 leaders from manufacturing, construction, agriculture, retail, hospitality, healthcare, energy, finance, education, government and more.
These conversations reinforced the state’s biggest problem is – and will continue to be – workforce. While not surprising, the level of concern was higher than ever before. Wisconsin’s business leaders proposed a number of ways to attract and retain workers, along with forward-looking ideas to make Wisconsin more competitive – and more attractive.
The result – Wisconsin 2035 – is a vision for Wisconsin’s economic future.
“More employers than ever before are having trouble finding workers, and Wisconsin’s demographic concerns will only intensify this economic problem,” said WMC President & CEO Kurt R. Bauer, who also serves as Chairman of the WMC Foundation Board. “Wisconsin 2035 outlines our biggest economic challenges and offers solutions for the state to see long-term, sustained economic success.”
Wisconsin 2035 is broken into three policy areas: workforce, taxes and education. The report’s recommendations for these topics include:
- Talent Attraction: Fund a sustained talent attraction campaign to grow Wisconsin’s working age population.
- Talent Retention: Stop the exodus of born-and-raised Wisconsinites by educating them about and connecting them to economic opportunities in the state.
- Talent Expansion: Get people off the sidelines by reducing barriers to entry and bridging the skills gap.
- Tax Reform: Significantly reduce and reform the state’s tax burden to make Wisconsin more competitive.
- Education Reform: Target funding to better connect the K-12 system to local employers and available careers.
“Everything comes back to workforce. Wisconsin must attract, retain and expand our talent pool,” added Bauer. “The state can no longer afford to be the best kept secret in the Midwest. We must tell our story and, at the same time, make Wisconsin an even more attractive place to live, work and play.”
Click here to read the full Wisconsin 2035 report.
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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Nick Novak, 608-661-6916 or nnovak@wmc.org
