Rosenmeier Forum Talks Unemployment In Crow Wing County

Who is unemployed and why? That was the topic of a healthy discussion at the Gordon Rosenmeier Forum at Central Lakes College as community members came out to learn and ask questions about unemployment in Crow Wing County, which is right around the state average.

The whys were numerous and included housing costs, disability, lack of reliable or public transportation, childcare, a record of felony convictions, and wages. But perhaps one of the most noteworthy is what’s called Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs.

A large part of the discussion was about ACE’s and mental illness in general, and why providing resources for those battling mental illness is important for both employee and employer. Crow Wing Energized has worked to provide resources for those who have experienced trauma in their childhood.

Overall though, after the Great Recession in 2008 crippled the workforce in Crow Wing County, trends are showing that unemployment is going down and jobs are slowly but surely getting filled.