Governor Tim Walz proudly announced that Minnesota has been ranked fourth in the country for living and working conditions by CNBC in a recent study. The study considered numerous factors, including environmental quality, health care and childcare, anti-discrimination laws, worker protections, and reproductive rights.
Last week, Walz began a workforce initiative focused on growing the state’s career fields with high-growth jobs and family-sustaining wages. He connected with manufacturing, education, and public safety workers all over Minnesota, and celebrated the $20 million invested into the most critical occupational categories within the state.
Furthermore, Minnesota made an extra commitment to public safety investments, splurging $300 million on cities, counties, and tribes to attend to their public safety, fire, or emergency management needs. Additionally, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan presented Minnesota’s efforts in boosting access to childcare, cutting childcare expenses, and wiping out child poverty to White House officials last week. To support these purposes, the new budget introduced over $1.3 billion to support the childcare workforce, expand childcare access, and guarantee quality childcare is attainable in the state.
All of these efforts have helped catapult Minnesota to a top-five spot in a CNBC study.