$7 million campaign to attract workers to Wisconsin a waste of money

On the surface, it sounds like a good problem to have. Unemployment in Wisconsin is near all-time lows. But that does present problems. Many employers are having a hard time finding workers to fill available positions. Just look around town at all the signs declaring “Now hiring.” Given the tight labor market, and the possibility of 13,000 new jobs at that Foxconn plant, filling all the available positions is proving difficult. That is why Governor Scott Walker wants to spend some of our tax money to recruit workers to Wisconsin. Walker is asking state lawmakers to approve nearly $7 million in new funding for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring workers to the state. Specifically, Walker wants $3.5 million allocated toward attracting veterans to the Wisconsin workforce, and another $3 million for a campaign aimed at attracting millennials. That seems like a pretty steep price tag for an effort that may not work. Will someone in sunny Arizona see the ads and suddenly want to move to the frozen tundra? Will they come for out pothole filled roads? That would take a pretty clever marketing campaign. Taxpayers have already handed over $3 billion in incentives to Foxconn. If they want to attract workers from Chicago or elsewhere, they should do that on their own dime.