Target layoffs part of broader stagnation in white

MINNEAPOLIS — With a history tracing back more than a century, Target Corporation has long been intertwined with Minnesota's identity.

For that reason, the company's announcement on Tuesday about corporate layoffs -- impacting more than 800 local employees in the Twin Cities -- delivered both a tangible and psychological hit to the state's economy.

"It's right in our backyard," said University of St. Thomas economics professor, Tyler Schipper. "It's one of the very visible corporate headquarters."

With 35,000 workers in Minnesota and more than 7,000 specifically in downtown Minneapolis, Target is the state's fourth-largest employer and downtown's second-largest . This week's layoffs represent a relatively small portion of that overall workforce, but the restructuring fits with br