Governor Evers Would Like to See More Diversity in the Workforce
Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 -- 12:37 PM
(WRN) -What keeps Governor Tony Evers awake nights?In a word, workforce. The governor tells the state largest business group...
"Just my observation, the state of Wisconsin has a lot of people that look like me and are about as old as me. And I can also guarantee you that with that background, we're not going to have enough people."
Even if everyone in the pool of potential workers is trained and employed, Evers tells Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce he's convinced more people will come to Wisconsin.
"But we also have to recognize that if we do that, the workforce might look a little different than it does now."
Wisconsin's aging workforce has been well documented, and Evers tells the state's largest business group that fact keeps him awake nights.
"We need to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to retain our workforce in the state of Wisconsin, and attract new talent."
Evers says he's convinced the state can attract more workers - but they'll be a diverse group
""When we bring people from out of state, the chances of them being 67-year-old white guys is pretty slim. And we just have to make sure that we as a state are ready to embrace that change."
Evers says Wisconsin needs to attract new workers in order to grow the economy here - and that means embracing diversity
"When we bring people from out of state, the chances of them being 67-year-old white guys is pretty slim. And we just have to make sure that we as a state are ready to embrace that change. I've seen it all across the state and I'm very proud of the communities that have done this. But we have to continue to do that. We have to make sure that all people are welcome here."
Evers says that means diversity and inclusiveness are critical in the workplace. The governor spoke to members of Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce at its Policy Day event in Madison on Tuesday.
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