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News Articles

This piece is the third in a series of Fair Opportunities articles intended to raise awareness of the employment needs of justice-impacted individuals in Ramsey County and the benefits to employers willing to give these returning citizens a chance at meaningful employment. Watch for upcoming content with detailed looks into...

All are welcome to attend the third annual Midway Area Job Fair on June 29, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Allianz Field in Saint Paul. Forty local companies that are ready to hire will be on-site at this outdoor event!
Featured employers include:
ACR Homes
Allina Health
American Security & Investigations
Bay...

Fair Chance Employment: Let’s Get to Work! Solving the Worker Shortage and Empowering Individuals.
Gain insights into the legal, social, and economic considerations surrounding second and fair chance hiring as a means to address local worker shortages. Explore proven resources, best practices, and solutions that support successful workforce reintegration...
One week before classes began for St. Paul Central High School’s spring semester, work-based learning coordinator Emily Punyko found out she would be teaching an honors engineering essentials course — despite having little exposure to the subject matter.
Read the complete article here.

The Ramsey County Workforce Solutions and Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County 2022 Annual Business Report is now available online.
The report showcases the achievements Ramsey County Workforce Solutions had working with residents, the Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County, business representatives, partners and others in 2022.
Explore the report to learn...

A prison sentence introduces a traumatic challenge to the lives of the incarcerated. But the difficulty of immersing back into society at the end of their prison term can present these individuals with an equally challenging scenario.
About one-fourth of incarcerated Minnesota individuals released each year return to prison...
Workforce Recruitment Resources Fair
Mar 3 2023WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT RESOURCE FAIR
Interested in connecting to a diverse and emerging workforce? Want to build deeper, intentional and sustaining partnerships with local community based organizations?
Ramsey County Workforce Solutions and the City of Roseville are once again co-sponsoring a Workforce Recruitment Resources Fair. This event is NOT a job fair--rather,...

Employers throughout the country struggle to find the workers they need. In Ramsey County, one group of individuals may be able to help alleviate the shortage - those who have been previously involved in the criminal justice system.
“Justice-impacted individuals” are persons who have or are in the process...

Education to Build Confidence in Career Choices
Jan 30 2023Today’s young adults have numerous and diverse options to pursue as they leave high school. For many, the sheer number of possibilities can lead to confusion around making that decision. Students in the northeastern Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area are fortunate to find some direction from one intermediate school district...
Report: Minnesota’s Wage Gap Is Shrinking
Jan 23 2023Minnesota’s wage gap has declined over the last five years, though inflation is still taking a bite out of workers’ paychecks.
That’s one of the main takeaways from a recent series of wage reports by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
There are several reasons for the...
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This year, Ramsey County and its community partners and will continue to draw attention to the desperate need for employers to embrace fair opportunities hiring practices for job seekers who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. According to the US Department of Justice, over 10,000 ex-prisoners are released...

By Suzanne P. Kelly, Chief of Staff, Center for Economic Inclusion
Research abounds on the pervasiveness of disparities and inequities in urban public education systems. The impacts of this on Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian [Black and Brown) youth are compounded by continuing inequities post high school...
Career Connect Day – Meeting Needs of Employers
Nov 14 2022I spend a great deal of time throughout the year talking with you, our members, about your strategic priorities. It’s important for me to hear directly from you about what you need from us. This year, you are telling us that your top priorities are: talent shortages within your organizations;...

By Priscilla A. Stallings, Racial Equity Consultant, Center for Economic Inclusion
With an ever-changing economy, now more than ever employers are beginning to examine how they can stand out as desirable places of employment. This shift is allowing for workplaces to reevaluate business as usual to elevate the work...

By Tiffany Wilson-Worsley, Director of Employer Learning and Engagement, Center for Economic Inclusion
The 2020 murder of George Floyd and consequential uprisings that followed both locally and nationally, illuminated the disparate state of Blacks and people of color in Minnesota and across the nation. Dubbed the “Minnesota Paradox” by...

Two Proven Practices for Retaining Black, Indigenous and Latino Employees in a competitive market
Sep 1 2022By Tim Boudreaux, Director of Racial Equity Consulting, Center for Economic Inclusion
Almost five million people quit their jobs in 2021, and according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the trend is expected to continue. Organizations alike are challenged by the realities of ‘the...
By Nathan Arnosti, Director of Analytics, Center for Economic Inclusion
On June 21, the Center for Economic Inclusion published its first annual Racial Equity Dividends Index, which surveys Minnesota businesses on their implementation of 36 of the leading standards for building racially equitable and inclusive workplaces. Forty businesses –...

Tech Talk: Future Tech Entrepreneurs and Community Wealth Building - Recording Now Available
May 4 2022A recording of the Tech Talk: Future Tech Entrepreneurs and Community Wealth Building webinar is now available. Learn from a dynamic panel of community leaders focused on sharing resources to grow tech entrepreneurs with a focus toward BIPOC wealth building.
Dr. Paul Campbell, Brown Venture Group
Al Cornish, gener8tor
Diane Rucker, University Enterprise...