— Hiring expectations among Wisconsin employers have fallen dramatically in the latest Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce survey.
WMC yesterday announced results from the organization’s latest Wisconsin Employer Survey, conducted online and through the mail in late June. Forty-nine percent of respondents expect to add employees over the next six months, compared to 68 percent at this time last year and 79 percent in the summer 2021 survey.
At the same time, 75 percent of respondents said they’re struggling to hire, which has fallen from 85 percent in the previous survey conducted about six months ago.
“While certain sectors remain strong, we are starting to see signs that the economy is slowing,” WMC President and CEO Kurt Bauer said in a statement on the results. “The effects of rising interest rates and higher prices are starting to take their toll on both businesses and workers.”
He noted uncertainty about the economic outlook at the state and national level has led to businesses being less likely to hire workers or raise wages rapidly. While nearly half of respondents last year said they would raise wages by more than 4 percent, that number was 21 percent in the latest survey.
Meanwhile, respondents’ views on the strength of the state and national economy are largely unchanged from the past survey, WMC says. While 39 percent say Wisconsin’s economy is strong, 54 percent say it’s moderate and 8 percent say it’s weak. By comparison, those numbers are 16 percent, 59 percent and 25 percent for the U.S. economy, respectively.
The survey included 170 businesses that WMC says make up a representative sample of its membership.
See the full results: https://www.wmc.org/press-releases/hiring-wage-growth-slows-in-latest-wisconsin-employer-survey/
— The Governor’s Taskforce on Broadband Access has set a new goal of ensuring all Wisconsin homes and businesses have access to reliable high-speed internet by 2028-29, two years earlier than its previous target.
That goal includes service with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 20 Mbps at all locations.
The new goal is also a more aggressive timeline than what the administration believes it can accomplish after receiving more than $1 billion in federal money to expand broadband. Following the announcement of the grant through a bipartisan infrastructure law, the Public Service Commission said it expected to be able to provide service of 25/3 Mbps to the remaining 250,000 locations without it by 2030.
Yesterday’s report includes a recommendation to find ways to combine the coming $1 billion in federal funds with other revenue streams and recognizing the importance of money beyond the federal money to build out Wisconsin’s infrastructure.
Two years ago, the task force’s goal was all homes and businesses in Wisconsin having access to service of 100/20 Mbps by 2031.
The task force yesterday laid out a series of recommendations along with the new goal. That includes prioritizing fiber technology in the build out, but also looking at terrestrial fixed wireless — such as an antenna — for hard-to-reach areas and/or short-term solutions.
See the release:
— As artificial intelligence enables more potentially misleading digital content to be produced, a Madison-based expert says blockchain technology could hold the key to authentication.
In a recent blog post on LinkedIn, AmpliPhi Digital founder Spencer X. Smith highlighted mounting concerns about the potential for “deepfakes” such as manipulated video, audio and images to mislead people. Because AI has now advanced enough to create convincing fakes, he noted these could be used for identity theft, fraud, propaganda and even financial market disruption.
“Addressing these threats will require robust mechanisms for content verification, which is where technologies like blockchain can play a significant role,” he wrote.
Blockchain is a form of digital ledger or database, which stores information across multiple systems for security and transparency purposes. According to Smith, data entered into the blockchain can’t be changed “without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network.”
He says blockchain could be used to register new digital content, establishing a verifiable record of its creation including a unique identification code. And AI could be used to automatically scan online platforms for fake content and prompt a verification check against that record.
This application could also be helpful for monetization of digital content by detecting unauthorized use of copyrighted material, Smith wrote.
“By intertwining the capabilities of AI and blockchain, it’s possible to create an ecosystem where content creation, sharing, and consumption can be carried out with a high degree of trust and confidence in the authenticity of the content,” he said.
Smith is a member of the board of directors for the Wisconsin Technology Council.
Read the full post here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fighting-deepfakes-can-blockchain-ai-watchdog-spencer-x-smith/
See a recent story on how AI is complicating copyright law: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/copyright-law-complicated-by-ai-technology/
— More Wisconsin tribes are quietly pursuing moves that could legalize the use and sale of marijuana on tribal land, despite marijuana being illegal in Wisconsin and federally.
“The tribes in our states have been asking a lot of questions, and there’s tribes, friendly tribes in the Great Lakes region that are operating already,” said Rob Pero, CEO and founder of Wisconsin-based Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association. His remarks came during the latest episode of WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.
The association is holding a private policy roundtable this week as certain tribal leaders consider moving forward with legalization and retail before any state action.
“I think that’s definitely a possibility, and that’s what’s really exciting about it,” Pero said. “This is the first time ever you’ve seen tribes kind of look to pool resources around emerging industries that we know can build economies. And this isn’t just selling weed at the gas station. This is medicine, this is industrial hemp, this is housing, biofuels. This is making our communities healthier, reducing the opioid epidemic. So tribes are really looking at this as a way to make their communities healthier, better and stronger, and they’re not going to wait on the state to let them decide on when that’s the right time.”
See more from the show: https://www.wisn.com/upfront
— GOP lawmakers are circulating a bill that would require the Department of Revenue to conduct a study with the state of Minnesota on the effects of reinstating an income tax reciprocity agreement between the two states.
The bill also would allow the DOR secretary to negotiate a new reciprocity agreement with Minnesota after the study concluded.
The proposal comes from state Sen. Rob Stafsholt, R-New Richmond, and state Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, R-River Falls. Their districts border Minnesota.
The cosponsorship deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— A bipartisan group of lawmakers is seeking cosponsors for a bill that would allow over-the-counter hearing aids to be sold without a license.
And the Milwaukee-based blood health organization Versiti has acquired Quantigen, an Indiana company offering lab testing services.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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#TOP STORIES#
# Major Milwaukee employer to sell stake in Worldpay for $11.7B upfront payment, backs off spinoff
# Study suggests ‘forever chemicals’ could be in 45% of American homes, a figure that tracks Wisconsin findings
# Menopause study including Wisconsin women finds ‘profound’ economic impact
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– With full plants, dairy industry experts say reports of milk dumping are unsurprising amid spring flush
– Major two-day Wisconsin farmland auction set for August 23-24
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=664&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Madison Common Council reconsiders 12-story Core Spaces project citing concerns over affordability
# EDUCATION
– Child care dilemma squeezes Wisconsin workers, parents
# HEALTH CARE
– Wisconsin senior living has facilities see increase in complaints to DHS
– Madison health-tech startup RadUnity completes seed funding round
# LABOR
– Workers strike at Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls
# MANUFACTURING
– Plas-Tech Engineering expanding Lake Geneva HQ
– WRTP I BIG STEP, Realta Fusion begin partnership to bring workers into burgeoning energy sector
# POLITICS
– Evers approves study into troubled state veterans homes
# REAL ESTATE
– Atomix Logistics doubling size with move to new Cudahy facility
– Port Washington puts 39 acres on the market for subdivision development
– Four of the most expensive, million dollar waterfront homes listed in the Fox Valley
# RETAIL
– Kenosha gas and convenience stores sell to Indianapolis chain
# SMALL BUSINESS
– The Buzz: A new barbershop in Hortonville has a 91-year-old owner
– At Jill’s Bar, everybody knows about the popcorn but the tiki bar is still a ‘best-kept secret’
# TECHNOLOGY
– Milwaukee logistics startup doubling warehouse space and staff
# TOURISM
– Celebrate Waterford returns for its fourth year
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Two Rivers Wisconsin: Central Park receives all-season upgrade
