Tourism wages are the lowest in Cook County

Tourism wages in Cook County during 2005 were the lowest, at $297 per week, compared with an average of $467 per week for all 2,797 employees in the major employment sectors. The data was provided by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Here are the actual figures, by Industry and Number of Employees for 2005:

* Construction: 29 employees, average weekly wage of $754

* Trade, transportation, utilities: 404 employees, average weekly wage of $474

* Information: 25 employees, average weekly wage of $572

* Financial activities: 73 employees, average weekly wage of $538

* Professional and
business services: 36 employees, average weekly wage of $530

* Education and health services: 347 employees, average weekly wage of $623

* Leisure and hospitality (tourism): 939 employees, average weekly wage of $297

* Public administration: 436 employees, average weekly wage of $650

All industries: 2,797 employees, average weekly wage of $467

In fact, tourism wages are so much lower that they drag the averages way down. $297 per week equates to an annual wage of $15,444 while the average wage of $467 is annualized at $24,284.

These numbers also show that direct tourism jobs account for only 34 percent of all jobs. The claims by the Economic Analysis Council, aka the Resort Owners Club, that 82 percent of county income comes from tourism, if true, makes it look really really bad for these owners who are paying only about a third of the wages.

As someone pointed out yesterday at a public meeting, the Council's figures, even if correct, can be used to support any economic argument at all. But they are not correct, or at best they are only a misleading part of the picture, based as they are on income subject to sales tax.

People, think! If it looks like a pig and squeals like a pig and walks like a pig and smells like a pig, it probably IS a pig. And tourism jobs probably ARE the lowest paid and the lowest paid WILL shoulder the greatest part of the burden if sales taxes are increased since a greater proportion of their low incomes goes to paying sales tax.

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