Business leaders talk about roadblocks to jobs

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — Business leaders say some of the roadblocks to creating more jobs in Wisconsin are regulatory hurdles and rising health care costs.

A jobs forum in Wausau Monday afternoon included leaders from a variety of sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, real estate, construction and health care.

Wausau homebuilder Sid Sorensen says his company is working on building affordable housing, but the government gets in the way by creating more regulations.

Other business leaders say a trained workforce in Wisconsin is a key to adding jobs. The Wausau Daily Herald reports Jarp Industries executive Kevin Kraft says the Schofield company has 215 workers and could expand. But, it needs access to more well-trained workers, including machinists who can build Jarp’s hydraulic cylinders.