Civil and Municipal - Mar 2023

14 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 the national rate and the labor participation rate sits well above half at 66.5 percent. Wisconsin is also excelling when it comes to employment numbers in its manufacturing sector, recording 475,000 employees hired by manufacturing companies based in the state. Business View: What challenges over the past few years have you faced in Wisconsin under COVID? WEDC: Similar to challenges faced by other states, COVID was not an easy time. Businesses, such as restaurants, entertainment, recreational, and travel venues all shut down nearly overnight as well as schools were forced to shut down. Employees needed to shift to remote working models and some jobs disappeared. WEDC could have never predicted such a change. Specific challenges that WEDC identified included the depletion of family savings, women leaving the workplace because of childcare needs, and preventative healthcare being delayed as COVID numbers increased. The pandemic required WEDC to move in directions no one had ever envisioned when it was created. Virtually overnight, it took on the responsibility of aiding thousands of small businesses. Business View: What are the innovative ways you approached these challenges? WEDC: WEDC undertook a Grassroots initiative to help the regions of Wisconsin solve the most urgent workforce challenges. The organization fiscally supported regional organizations that