States Compete for High-Wage Employers With ‘Workforce Development’ Initiatives

It’s no secret that states compete with each other to attract “family wage” employers that provide health insurance and other benefits, especially in manufacturing and high-tech sectors.
The standard competitive toolboxes offered by state legislatures usually include tax credits, assorted regulatory waivers, and a host of other “fine print” incentives to induce corporations and businesses to invest in communities by building or expanding manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and administrative offices.
But as state lawmakers begin their 2023 sessions—45 legislatures will convene by Jan. 18—a tweak has emerged over the past decade in that interstate rivalry: competition in developing the workforces that high-wage industries need….}