ST PAUL, Minn. — Governor Walz is very impressed with the work Explore Minnesota is doing attracting tourists to this state. He'd like to do more aggressive campaigns to lure people to move here for keeps.
It's part of the brainstorming Gov. Walz and cabinet members have been doing to find ways to solve an acute shortage of workers in this state, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.
"Not all states are created equal, and I think Minnesota does many things well, and I think we have maybe not been as aggressive as we could about selling those points," Walz told reporters at the State Capitol Monday.
"I think we’re going to see partners in that across the spectrum, from the business community to others, that want to see us do that."
Minnesota's reputation as a cold weather state isn't the only issue recruiters face. The state has made national news for the wrong reasons since the murder of George Floyd in police custody in 2020 and the riots and destruction that followed.
If the news itself wasn't enough, national conservative political pundits and negative campaign ads have combined to cement a negative image of Minnesota, especially the Twin Cities urban core.
All the more reason to highlight the state's selling points, including its highly motivated workforce, schools, universities, parks, major corporate headquarters and natural resources.
"Some of this is touting things that have always been there, but I think, candidly some of it’s reputation repair," Walz explained.
"It's to let people know what’s really here, to let them know what they’re doing to let them know what assets we have."
For the past two decades the state has had a net loss of migration when it comes to more American-born residents. More people born in this country are leaving Minnesota and moving here. That has been offset by the high numbers of international migrants moving to Minnesota from outside of the U.S.
According the Minnesota State Demographer, most of the net loss is due to students who leave the state to go to college and don't return after they graduate. The state gained enough population between 2010 and 2020 to hold on to all eight of its congressional seats in 2022, but just barely.
Adding to the workforce shortage is the high number of Baby Boomers who decided to retire earlier than they'd originally planned due to the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walz said that as a young teacher he was drawn to Minnesota because teachers here made more money than they did in his home state of Nebraska, and there were more things to do here.
He said he's seriously considering running ads in Florida, where teachers have been barred from talking about gender and orientation to students in lower grade levels. Exactly what they can say to older students is still in flux.
"To know what the state of Minnesota values in education, and communities value in education, if I’m a teacher this is a state you want to teach in, it’s a good place."
Governor Walz is well aware of the advertising campaigns other states, including South Dakota, are running touting their low taxes.
"A lot of states do this. I had mentioned I hate seeing these advertisements from other states," Walz remarked. "We have a lot to offer and think we should be putting that out there."
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Republican lawmakers have long asserted that more people would be attracted to move here if our personal income tax rates weren't so high.
The highest rate, at 9.95%, is applied that part of your income above $284,810 for joint filers, and $171,220 for single filers. Progressively lower rates apply to other parts of your income.
Gov. Walz and House Democrats, as part of negotiations with Senate Republicans last year, agreed to cut the rate for the lowest bracket. But those talks eventually fell through and the tax bill, like many others, fell by the wayside.
In the 2022 Election Democrats won single-party control of the State Capitol for the 2023 and 2024 sessions. It's unclear what types of tax cuts they'll agree to, even with the state sitting on a projected $17.6 billion projected surplus.
Walz has said that he's interested in exempting more people from paying income taxes on Social Security benefits, but he has also declared he's not interested in cutting taxes for the wealthiest Minnesotans.