Category Archives: Economy
Foxconn Denies Recruiting Chinese Workers
Frankly, I hope that they are.
Technology supplier Foxconn denied reports Tuesday that it is considering staffing its planned Wisconsin facility with Chinese workers due to the tight labor market in the state.
“We can categorically state that the assertion that we are recruiting Chinese personnel to staff our Wisconsin project is untrue,” Foxconn, which is based in Taiwan, told The Wall Street Journal in a statement.
Sources familiar with the matter had told the Journal that Foxconn may bring in personnel from China to staff the facility, given the tight American labor market.
Particularly, the source said, Foxconn Chairman Terry Ghou is searching out company engineers that would be willing to move to Wisconsin.
Ghou is reportedly struggling to find employees who would relocate so far away and is frustrated by it.
We have a labor shortage in Wisconsin. The best way to fix that is to recruit people from other states and countries to move to Wisconsin to fill those jobs, thus creating more Wisconsinites who live, work, and play in our state. It is a good thing if people want to move here – not a bad thing.
Posted by Owen at 1607 hours
Governing is harder with diverse opinions
My column is in the Washington County Daily News today. First, go vote. Second, tomorrow we have to start governing again. Here’s a taste.
When it comes to the economy, as with most things, the best government is the least government. As the state’s politicians enter the new year, they must not act to disrupt the economic policies that are working by introducing higher taxes, more regulations, or fostering an adversarial relationship with businesses. Instead, they should focus on the economic issues that need addressing, like attracting more workers to move to Wisconsin.
Most of all, as Wisconsin’s freshly elected politicians settle into their jobs, they must remember that not every problem requires a government solution. Most of the time, the best solution is for government to get out of the way.
Posted by Owen at 0644 hours
More Jobs and Higher Wages
We are finally seeing wages rising as a result of the tight labor market. Great news!
Job growth blew past expectations in October and year-over-year wage gains jumped past 3 percent for the first time since the Great Recession, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Nonfarm payrolls powered up by 250,000 for the month, well ahead of Refinitiv estimates of 190,000. The unemployment rate stayed at 3.7 percent, the lowest since December 1969.
The ranks of the employed rose to a fresh record 156.6 million and the employment-to-population ratio increased to 60.6 percent, the highest level since December 2008, according to the department’s household survey. That headline jobless number stayed level even amid a two-tenths of a percentage point rise in the labor force participation rate to 62.9 percent.
Those counted as outside the labor force tumbled by 487,000 to 95.9 million.
But the bigger story may be wage growth, which has been the missing piece of the economic recovery. Average hourly earnings increased by 5 cents an hour for the month and 83 cents year over year, representing a 3.1 percent gain. The annual increase in wages was the best since 2009.
Expect inflation to creep up next as a natural result of wage growth. Let’s hope that the Federal Reserve doesn’t overreact to inflation and crimp the employment and wage growth we are enjoying.
Posted by Owen at 0751 hours
Google Walkout
Staff at Google offices around the world are staging an unprecedented series of walkouts in protest at the company’s treatment of women.
The employees are demanding several key changes in how sexual misconduct allegations are dealt with at the firm, including a call to end forced arbitration – a move which would make it possible for victims to sue.
Google chief executive Sundar Pichai has told staff he supports their right to take the action.
“I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel,” he said in an all-staff email. “I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society… and, yes, here at Google, too.”
A Twitter feed titled @googlewalkout has documented the movement at Google’s international offices.
Posted by Owen at 0757 hours
Booming Economy Results in Fewer Medicaid Recipients
The booming U.S. economy appears to be reducing dependence on federal health insurance for the poor.
Medicaid enrollment fell for the first time since 2007, declining by about 0.6 percent in fiscal year 2018, and states don’t expect to see much growth in enrollment next year, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report released Thursday.
States are budgeting for a “minimal” increase of 0.9 percent in 2019, Kaiser said in its annual 50-state survey of Medicaid.
“States largely attribute the enrollment slowdown to a strengthening economy, resulting in fewer new low-income people qualifying for Medicaid,” said Kaiser, a nonprofit group that focuses on health care and health policy.
While crediting the strong economic growth during the Trump presidency, the report also pointed out that the administration is urging states to “add work requirements to Medicaid that are likely to result in enrollment declines.” Some of the work requirements approved by the administration have resulted in some Medicaid recipients losing coverage.
I would love to see the Republicans, or Democrats for that matter, run on the issue of imposing stricter work requirements for Medicaid and welfare. In an age of sub-3% unemployment, there is no excuse for every able-bodied person to not be working.
Posted by Owen at 2051 hours
Record Employment
The unemployment rate for the La Crosse metropolitan area hit a new low in September, coming in at 2.0 percent for the first time, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimates released Wednesday.
The city of La Crosse was ranked fourth in the state with an unemployment rate of 2.2 percent in September, down from 2.9 percent in August. The estimated rates, which are not seasonally adjusted, were celebrated by the Department of Workforce Development.
[…]September marks the eighth consecutive month in which Wisconsin’s unemployment has been 3 percent or less. The record lows have been driven by strong economic development policies in the state, said Allen, saying positive changes are driving opportunities, such as Foxconn’s new facility.
Posted by Owen at 0837 hours
Bernie Evers Wants $15 Minimum Wage
MacIver News Service | Oct. 22, 2018
By Bill Osmulski and Chris Rochester
MILWAUKEE – Tony Evers stole Bernie Sanders’ socialist spotlight in Milwaukee on Monday when he told supporters that when it comes to the minimum wage “we’re going to $15 an hour minimum. Minimum.”
Sanders was in Milwaukee to rally the Democrat base around the party’s top candidates in next month’s election. Tony Evers, Gwen Moore, Randy Bryce, Tammy Baldwin, and Mandela Barnes were all there at the UWM student union. Several hundred people attended.
Given the location at one of the UW System’s top universities, Evers thought it was also a good time to admit being on the board of regents is “the worst part of my job.”
Nothing says “economic growth” like bone-crushing government regulations.
Posted by Owen at 2314 hours
Amazon Shifts Compensation Model
Heh. So the liberals got what they wanted.
The company announced Tuesday that it will raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour for all US employees. But tucked away in the announcement was the fact that Amazon will phase out its bonus and stock award programs for its hourly workers. The change was first reported by Bloomberg Wednesday.The company maintains that workers will make more money under the new system. All hourly workers will get a bump in pay, even if they are already making $15 an hour.“The significant increase in hourly cash wages more than compensates for the phase out of incentive pay and RSUs [restricted stock units],” a spokesperson said. “In addition, because it’s no longer incentive-based, the compensation will be more immediate and predictable.”
Posted by Owen at 1213 hours
Al Gore to Run Tesla?
It’s starting to look like Mark Belling was a genius for shorting Tesla stock.
Former US Vice President Al Gore could be a good fit to replace Elon Musk as chairman, according to one longtime tech analyst.
Gene Munster, venture capitalist at Loup Ventures, said Gore would be able to use the role to get Musk, who is still CEO of Tesla, in line.
Musk agreed to resign as Tesla chairman within 45 days as part of his settlement with the SEC.
Munster said Gore would be a worthwhile candidate as he has served on Apple’s board of directors since 2003 and is a prominent figure in the alternative energy industry.
‘The open board chairperson role creates an opportunity for Tesla to potentially put someone in place that is capable of influencing Musk and helping Tesla reach sustainability,’ said Munster, who is a noted Tesla bull.
Posted by Owen at 1947 hours
A Winning Trade Deal
It will take some time to ferret out all of the details in the new trade deal between America, Canada, and Mexico , but so far it looks good – especially for Wisconsin.
In a win for the United States, USMCA will open up some of Canada’s dairy market to US farmers. The issue was a big sticking point between the two negotiating teams.Under the original NAFTA, Canada limited how much milk, cheese and other dairy products could come in from the United States.But under the updated agreement, Canada will set new quotas for the United States. It will increase market access for US dairy, poultry and eggs. In return, the United States will allow more Canadian dairy, peanuts and peanut products, and a limited amount of sugar to cross the border, according to a document from US Trade Representative’s Office.Canada has also agreed to end a system that had kept the price of some milk products, including milk protein, low. This change will also allow more US dairy products to enter the Canadian market.
The new trade agreement aims to support American workers in several ways.Most notably, it requires that 40% to 45% of car and truck parts be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour. The goal is to level the playing field between American and Mexican auto workers and to incentivize manufacturers to build more in the United States. One of the main criticisms of NAFTA is that it prompted American car makers to shift production south of the border, where workers earn much less than their US counterparts.The deal also mandates that 75% of a vehicle’s parts must be made in North America, up from the current 62.5% rule. The Trump administration argues that this will help incentivize billions in new auto sector production in the US.Also, Mexico has committed to recognize workers’ right to collectively bargain, and the three countries agreed to enforce rights recognized by the International Labor Organization.
Posted by Owen at 1657 hours
Komatsu to Build New HQ in Milwaukee
In a huge boost to Milwaukee’s redeveloping Harbor District, Komatsu Mining Corp. will create a new corporate campus on a desolate former industrial site — with around 1,000 jobs that include 600 local employees who will move there.
Komatsu’s future $285 million development will house manufacturing operations now based at 4400 W. National Ave., West Milwaukee, as well as corporate offices at Honey Creek Corporate Center, 135 S. 84th St., on Milwaukee’s far west side.
They will move by 2022 to a 60-acre site overlooking the inner harbor at the end of East Greenfield Avenue, it was announced Thursday by company executives and state and local officials.
It’s the largest development site in the Harbor District, where work is underway to convert vacant lots and underused buildings into a hub of industrial jobs, housing, retail space and other new uses.
Posted by Owen at 2131 hours
Kingdom Invests in Tesla Rival
Whoa.
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund invested over $1 billion Monday in American electric car manufacturer, Lucid Motors.
That’s bad news for Tesla, as it signals that the kingdom may be moving in a different direction, just weeks after CEO Elon Musk claimed the fund would help his own firm go private.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), which invests on behalf of the Saudi government, said the infusion would go toward launching the Lucid Air electric sedan by 2020.
Posted by Owen at 1535 hours
Walker Calls for Senate to Vote on KC Incentive
I don’t think they should pass it, but I do think they should call it for a vote. Kimberly-Clark deserves an answer either way.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wants members of the state Senate to convene this month to approve a $100 million tax incentive package designed to keep hundreds of paper company jobs in Wisconsin, but it’s not clear whether the proposal has enough support to pass.
“We need support from both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate to save these good-paying Wisconsin jobs,” Walker tweeted on Thursday.
He told reporters in Milwaukee he’s working to secure the 17 votes needed to approve the bill in the Senate, which would need to return in an extraordinary session in order to give it a vote.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitgerald, R-Juneau, said he’s working to find Republican votes to support the bill, which aims to prevent paper company Kimberly-Clark from closing two plants located in Neenah and Fox Crossing at a loss of 610 jobs.
Posted by Owen at 2200 hours
Keep the Walker economy going
Here is my full column that ran in the Washington County Daily News yesterday.
Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer in Wisconsin, has come and gone. The kids are back in school. Even some of the more eager leaves have begun to turn as a reminder that winter is looming on the horizon. Also looming is the November election, when Wisconsin’s voters will decide whether to change the direction of our state or stay the course.
Gov. Scott Walker has a great case to make for his re-election, but many voters have become complacent after so many years of success. Too often, politics is about “what have you done for me lately.” Walker and the legislative Republicans have made tremendous improvements in preserving and expanding civil rights, protecting life, education reform and many other areas of government. But with the limited space available in this column, let us look deeper at Wisconsin’s economy under Walker.
In 2010, the year that Scott Walker was elected as governor, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate stood at 8.7 percent. Over a quarter-million Wisconsinites were looking for work and could not find it. Per capita income had fallen to $38,598. Businesses were fleeing Wisconsin due to the inflexible regulatory climate, a hostile government and oppressive taxes. The state budget was running yet another massive deficit and voters were facing another round of tax increases.
Fast forward to July 2018 — after almost two full terms of Walker. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate stands at 3.1 percent — a rate below what many economists consider full employment. There are more than 300,000 more Wisconsinites working now than there were in 2010, and they are earning more. Per capita income in 2016, the most recent year for which figures are available, is up to $46,762 — an increase of more than $8,000 per person and the most recent economic data coming from federal number crunchers indicates that income growth is accelerating with sustained high employment.
One might be tempted to dismiss these economic comparisons as unfair given the entire nation’s economy is booming. That is true and a reason that voters should also return Republican majorities to the Congress, but Wisconsin is even doing better under Walker than most other states.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Wisconsin’s percent growth in privatesector jobs in July ranked seventh nationally and first in the Midwest. Our state’s July unemployment rate tied for the seventh lowest in the nation. In the manufacturing industry, Wisconsin ranked fifth nationally in percent growth in jobs over the last year and gained the second-most manufacturing jobs in the last six months.
The evidence is clear that while the nation’s economy is enjoying fabulous growth in jobs and wages, Wisconsin is one of the states leading the pack.
The vast majority of Wisconsin’s economic success is due to the millions of Wisconsinites who work hard, build businesses and create value in the global market. State government’s policies can either retard the innate economic prowess of Wisconsin’s people or help create an environment where that prowess can be let loose. The policies that Walker enacted during his first two terms have enabled Wisconsinites to flex their economic muscles.
For example, Walker set about immediately cutting state regulations and reining in the fearsome Department of Natural Resources. He signed the law making Wisconsin a right-to-work state, thus freeing the people from forced unionization. Walker cut taxes and improved Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure.
Perhaps most importantly, Walker’s pro-business attitude has permeated state government. During the Jim Doyle era, Wisconsin had a well-earned reputation for being hostile to business. Companies that dared to open in the state were threatened with costly regulations, a DNR that would deny permits and slam them with fines for the most inconsequential infraction and politicians who would cluck their tongues if they were not the “right kind” of jobs.
Under Walker, the state has struck a better regulatory balance that protects the interests of all Wisconsinites — including those who want to work. State agencies still enforce all of the laws and regulations, but do so by helping businesses comply instead of crushing them with fines. When businesses run into some problem with state government, a state regulator is more likely to pick up the phone and ask, “How can I help?” That matters to business owners who are just trying to grow their businesses the best they know how.
Finally, unlike the previous governor, Walker actively recruits businesses to move to Wisconsin. There is no doubt that had it not been for Walker aggressively recruiting Foxconn, that multibillion-dollar investment would have gone to another state. Walker not only asked for the business, he closed the deal. A lesser governor would not have succeeded.
Wisconsin’s economy has made a complete turnaround under Walker and is heading in the right direction. It is a mistake to think that the state’s economy will continue in that direction under Tony Evers. Leadership matters and Wisconsin’s economy needs Walker to remain at the helm.
Posted by Owen at 0645 hours
Keep the Walker economy going
My column for the Washington County Daily News is in the paper today. Go buy a copy, but here’s a snippet:
Finally, unlike the previous governor, Walker actively recruits businesses to move to Wisconsin. There is no doubt that had it not been for Walker aggressively recruiting Foxconn, that multibillion-dollar investment would have gone to another state. Walker not only asked for the business, he closed the deal. A lesser governor would not have succeeded.
Wisconsin’s economy has made a complete turnaround under Walker and is heading in the right direction. It is a mistake to think that the state’s economy will continue in that direction under Tony Evers. Leadership matters and Wisconsin’s economy needs Walker to remain at the helm.
Posted by Owen at 0728 hours
Evil Walmart Forces Cash into Employees’ Pockets
WEST BEND — More than 915,000 Walmart associates across the country received a share of more than $200 million in cash bonuses based on their stores’ second-quarter performance, the company announced Friday.
The bonuses were included in associates’ paycheck Thursday.
In Wisconsin, hourly associates received $4.33 million.
According to a news release, these bonuses came on the heels of the best performance for Walmart U.S. in more than 10 years — with comp sales growth (excluding fuel) of 4.5 percent — along with an increase in customer traffic of more than 2 percent.
Perhaps more interesting is that Walmart seems to be bucking the trend to online shopping while other brick-and-mortar retailers are dying. Or are all stores seeing a boost in this booming economy? It will be interesting to see the performance of other stores over the next few quarters.
Posted by Owen at 2154 hours
Opioid Crisis Linked to Decreased Labor Force Participation
The opioid crisis appears to be contributing to decreased labor force participation, especially in certain U.S. states, according to a chart by Deutsche Bank’s Torsten Slok.
Opioid use has been one of many driving forces behind higher disability rates, Yahoo Finance previously reported, which leads to more people being out of the labor force (even when the overall economy is humming).
West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas are seeing a particularly high correlation between opioid prescriptions and lack of labor market participation, as indicated by this chart:
Torsten Slok / Deutsche Bank Research
Posted by Owen at 1954 hours
Tesla’s Union Busting Ways
Huh. The darling of the Left hates unions. Can’t blame ’em.
Tesla and its billionaire owner, Elon Musk, have earned a reputation for union-busting efforts over the past few years. In February 2017, Musk accused a factory worker who outlined several issues within Tesla in a Medium blogpost of being a “union plant”. In an email, Musk also promised workers free frozen yogurt in a letter to employees that framed unionization efforts as an effort against Tesla by big car companies. The same month, Tesla employee Michael Sanchez alleged he was asked to leave the Tesla factory by security for handing out pro-union flyers outside to fellow employees.
The NLRB filed a complaint currently on trial over Musk’s alleged promise to workers in a June 2017 meeting to fix safety standard concerns if they refrained from efforts to form a union. Several similar charges against Tesla are currently under consideration by the NLRB, including one alleging surveillance and intimidation against workers attempting to form a union.
Complaints from workers over being fired for engaging in efforts to unionize at Tesla have become common. “I was a union supporter. I wore a union shirt almost every day to work and my supervisor at the time asked me why I wore it,” said Jim Owen, who left the Tesla factory in Fremont, California, in March 2018 due to concerns for his safety after a robot almost severely injured him while working on car hoods. “He told me upper management wouldn’t appreciate me wearing it.”
Posted by Owen at 0957 hours
Wages Rise in Robust Economy
Fantastic! Wages are always a lagging metric. It’s good to see them rise.
Annual wage growth hit a nine-year high in the US last month as the economy created more jobs than expected.
Average hourly earnings rose by 0.4% in August, pushing the annual rate of increase to 2.9% – the fastest pace since June 2009.
Hiring in the construction sector and in professional services helped the economy to add 201,000 jobs last month.
The strong wage growth is likely to strengthen expectations of another rise in US interest rates later this month.
The US Federal Reserve, which has already raised rates twice this year, is due to meet on 25-26 September.
The dollar rose in response to the data. The dollar index – which measures the greenback against a group of major currencies – hit a two-day high.
Posted by Owen at 0906 hours
Trump Signs Changes to Retirement Rules
Not that you need another example, but do you want to see an example of how rampant the media bias is? Check out this story from ABC News. Headline: “Trump signs retirement savings executive order in Charlotte.”
OK, that sounds important. Let’s read the story. Here’s how is starts:
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, that would make it easier for small businesses to band together in associations to provide affordable retirement savings plans.
“Today’s historic action will provide new retirement security to countless American workers and their families. We believe all Americans should be able to retire with the confidence, dignity and economic security that you want,” Trump said.
That’s it. The remaining 17 paragraphs of the story are about unrelated things like comments from Trump, what he didn’t say about McCain at the event, stuff about federal pay wages, and on and on and on.
As someone who plans to retire someday, I actually clicked on the story in hopes of learning about what the executive order was about. How will it affect me? Do I need to make adjustments to my retirement plans?
ABC News didn’t think those details were important. Instead, they thought it was more important to report on stuff that Trump said, hinted, should have said, didn’t say, or whatever.
Well, if you’re curious, here are some details about the executive order that the President signed… and it’s pretty spectacular. The details will have to be finalized the requisite federal agencies, but the changes will give far greater access to tax-advantaged retirement plans to workers – particularly those who work for small businesses. It will also allow retirees to keep their money in their retirement plans for longer instead of being forced to withdraw it before they need it.
Posted by Owen at 1041 hours
