Testimony of WEDC Deputy Secretary Sam Rikkers to the Assembly Committee On Jobs And The Economy

October 19, 2021

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, and thank you for inviting me to speak to the Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy.

At the committee’s request, I’m here today to provide a brief overview of the state’s economic condition, drill down into the assistance WEDC and other state agencies have provided over the past year and a half, and discuss some of the challenges to our state’s recovery and how WEDC is responding to those.

Since the pandemic began, Wisconsin businesses – large and small, urban and rural, in every corner of the state – have demonstrated remarkable ingenuity, tenacity, and resiliency. Taken as a whole, Wisconsin’s economy has largely returned to its pre-pandemic status. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is among the lowest in the country, and its labor participation rate – the share of working-age folks currently in the workforce – is among the highest. In other words, Wisconsin is getting back to work.

At WEDC, we see the recovery every day:...
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