17,900 more jobholders - October joblessness falls
Wisconsin's unemployment rate dropped again in October to reachthe lowest point since January 1970.
October's unemployment was 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percentin September, to tie the 3.1 percent recorded in both Januaryand February of 1970. That is when, coincidentally, Wisconsinbegan adjusting unemployment to account for normal seasonal fluctuations.( The U.S. Department of Labor also switched at thattime to a system that counted job holders and seekers where theylive rather than where they worked.)
Unemployment has dropped eight-tenths of percentage point sinceJanuary. Nationally, unemployment stood at 5.2 percent, seasonallyadjusted.
"Employment opportunities in Wisconsin have been truly phenomenal,"said Richard C. Wegner, Acting Secretary of the Department ofWorkforce Development. "We are especially gratified by reportsthat employers are stepping up to the plate to hire first-timeworkers leaving the welfare rolls." Wegner said the Department'sown Unemployment Insurance Division has hired 32 former AFDC recipientsto staff its call centers in Madison and Milwaukee.
Historically, as Wisconsin goes from September to October, thenumber of jobholders declines by an average of 11,100. That isthe reason for seasonal adjustment, especially in a state withWisconsin's dramatic climate: to factor out normal seasonal changes.But what happened this October? Employment went up by 17,900 insteadof down by the usual 11,100.
This October, 80,400 more people were working than 12 months earlier.When adjusted for the season, total employment reached a record2.8 million.
The actual number of jobless workers (74,800) is the lowest sinceMay 1974 when the size of the total workforce was considerablysmaller.
Unemployment rates followed the statewide drop in nine of the11 metropolitan areas. Madison's unemployment dropped to 1.4 percent,a rate probably not experienced since World War 2, according toAugust Cibarich, DWD chief economist ( Rates werenot estimated that far back.). Unadjusted, Madison's ratewas even lower at 1.2 percent; similarly, the state's unadjustedrate was 2.6 percent.
Madison in September again had the nation's lowest unemploymentrate. Wisconsin had the sixth lowest unemployment rate in thenation, behind Nebraska (at 2.4%), North Dakota, South Dakota,Utah, and Iowa.
Among the larger job categories, when compared with 12 monthsearlier, construction work was up 7.1%, business services wereup 5.8%, social services up 7.7%, hotel jobs up 6.6%, meat processingand vegetable processing up 6.4% and 7.0%, respectively.
| Sept. U.S. rank* | October 1996 Unemployment % seasonally adjusted | October 1996 | Sept. 1996 | Oct. 1995 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
| 12 | Appleton-Oshkosh | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.2 |
| 25 | Eau Claire | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
| 18 | Green Bay | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3.2 |
| 53 | Janesville-Beloit | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| 45 | Kenosha | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
| 12 | La Crosse | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.6 |
| 1 | Madison | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| 59 | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| 71 | Racine | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.3 |
| 16 | Sheboygan | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| 25 | Wausau | 2.7 | 3.1 | 4.5 |
* of 272 metro areas or 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico nationally. Not seasonally adjusted. Lower is better. | ||||
From welfare to jobs with a future
Wisconsin's Unemployment Insurance program hired 32 former welfarerecipients to help staff its benefit claims call centers in Madisonand Milwaukee in early October. Starting hourly wages are $10.66,plus benefits, moving to $10.99 in six months. Of the 32 hired,28 have successfully completed their probationary periods.
"These are permanent, full- and part-time jobs, with realbenefits and the potential to move up," Wegner said. Indeed,two of the new hires have already been promoted as U.I. benefitsspecialists.
The Department of Workforce Development does not discriminateon the basis of disability in the provision of services or inemployment. If you need this printed material interpreted in adifferent form or if you need assistance in using this service,please contact August Cibarich 608/266-0522; TDD/Voice Relay 1-800/947-3529.Due to the methods of data collection and computation, unemploymentrates in this report are subject to a margin of error of seven-tenthsof a percentage point in either direction (e.g. a rate of 4.0%means the actual unemployment rate is between 3.3% and 4.7%).The error range for the size of the change is two-tenths of apercentage point (a decrease of five-tenths of a percentage pointmeans the change was between three-tenths and seven-tenths.) Employmentand unemployment figures for the latest month are the best availableestimates. Seasonally adjusted data is italicized.
| This month | since last month | in last 12 months | |
| Total labor force | 2,913,200 | +13,200 | 63,300 |
| Employed | 2,838,400 | +17,900 | +80,400 |
| Unemployed | 74,800 | - 4,700 | -17,000 |
| Wis. Unemployment | 2.6% | 2.7% | 3.2% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 4.9% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| This month | since last month | in last 12 months | |
| Total labor force | 2,923,100 | +23,100 | +67,000 |
| Employed | 2,832,700 | +29,000 | +83,400 |
| Unemployed | 90,400 | - 5,900 | -16,400 |
| Wis. Unemployment | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.5% |
| Average weekly earnings | $559.26 | $566.71 | $544.40 | + $14.86 |
| Average hourly earnings | $13.19 | $13.21 | $12.87 | + $ 0.32 |
| Average weekly hours | 42.4 | 42.9 | 42.3 | + 0.1 |
Contact the Labor Market Analyst in theseJob Service District offices for local details:
Dan Curtin, Green Bay & Oshkosh:414/424-3029
Bev Gehrke in Eau Claire & Hayward:715/634-4845
Jerry Snow in Rock/South Central: 608/266-0230
Bill Brockmiller in La Crosse: 608/785-9337
Joe Colletti in Madison: 608/242-4885
Ron Ramlow in Milwaukee: 414/227-4310
Mark Mundl in Racine: 414/638-7213
Dennis Goodwin in Wausau: 715-843-0116
Dick Seidemann in West Bend: 414/335-5319
| Establishment survey in thousands | |||||
| NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2629.4 | 2622.5 | 2590.0 | 6.9 | 39.4 |
| MANUFACTURING | 602.0 | 605.4 | 602.6 | -3.4 | -0.6 |
| DURABLE GOODS | 365.2 | 364.1 | 365.6 | 1.1 | -0.4 |
| Lumber and Wood Products | 31.1 | 31.3 | 30.6 | -0.2 | 0.5 |
| Furniture and Fixtures | 17.0 | 16.9 | 16.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Stone, Clay & Glass Products | 10.2 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Primary Metal Industries | 24.1 | 23.9 | 24.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Fabricated Metal Products | 64.2 | 64.2 | 63.4 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Nonelectrical Machinery | 111.6 | 111.3 | 112.7 | 0.3 | -1.1 |
| Electrical Machinery | 45.0 | 44.9 | 45.9 | 0.1 | -0.9 |
| Transportation Equipment | 31.9 | 32.0 | 31.9 | -0.1 | 0.0 |
| Prof., Scient. & Control Instr. | 17.9 | 17.9 | 18.4 | 0.0 | -0.5 |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 12.1 | 11.5 | 12.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| NONDURABLE GOODS | 236.8 | 241.3 | 237.0 | -4.5 | -0.2 |
| Food and Kindred Products | 66.9 | 70.4 | 65.6 | -3.5 | 1.3 |
| Textile Mill Products | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 |
| Apparel & Others | 6.7 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 0.0 | -0.3 |
| Paper and Allied Products | 51.2 | 51.7 | 52.0 | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| Printing, Publishing & Allied | 53.4 | 53.2 | 53.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Chemicals, etc. | 14.2 | 14.3 | 14.2 | -0.1 | 0.0 |
| Rubber & Misc. Plastic Prods | 35.7 | 36.1 | 36.1 | -0.4 | -0.4 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.6 | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| All Other Nondurable Goods | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MINING | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION | 117.5 | 118.4 | 109.7 | -0.9 | 7.8 |
| TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS | 122.3 | 121.8 | 121.2 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| TRADE | 602.2 | 599.9 | 593.4 | 2.3 | 8.8 |
| WHOLESALE TRADE | 127.7 | 127.4 | 126.8 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| RETAIL TRADE | 474.5 | 472.5 | 466.5 | 2.0 | 8.0 |
| FINANCE, Insure, Real Estate | 137.1 | 137.7 | 135.7 | -0.6 | 1.4 |
| SERVICES, MISC. | 657.8 | 657.4 | 641.2 | 0.4 | 16.6 |
| Health Services | 211.4 | 211.6 | 207.5 | -0.2 | 3.9 |
| Business Services | 118.7 | 115.4 | 114.4 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| Social Services | 68.4 | 67.4 | 63.5 | 1.0 | 4.9 |
| GOVERNMENT | 387.9 | 379.2 | 383.6 | 8.7 | 4.3 |
| FEDERAL | 30.2 | 30.2 | 30.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STATE | 96.8 | 92.9 | 95.1 | 3.9 | 1.7 |
| LOCAL | 260.9 | 256.1 | 258.3 | 4.8 | 2.6 |
Rank | County | this month | last month/rank | Rank | County | this month | last month/rank |
| 14 | Adams | 3.8% | 3.3% | 25 | 53 | Marathon | 2.2% | 2.5% | 42 | |
| 11 | Ashland | 3.9% | 4.3% | 9 | 9 | Marinette | 4.0% | 4.2% | 10 | |
| 27 | Barron | 3.0% | 3.2% | 26 | 7 | Marquette | 4.2% | 4.1% | 13 | |
| 16 | Bayfield | 3.6% | 3.7% | 18 | 1 | Menominee | 8.9% | 9.8% | 1 | |
| 46 | Brown | 2.4% | 2.4% | 49 | 18 | Milwaukee | 3.5% | 3.8% | 15 | |
| 63 | Buffalo | 2.0% | 2.1% | 63 | 2 | Monroe | 5.4% | 5.0% | 4 | |
| 34 | Burnett | 2.7% | 2.7% | 40 | 17 | Oconto | 3.6% | 3.7% | 19 | |
| 70 | Calumet | 1.7% | 2.0% | 65 | 48 | Oneida | 2.4% | 2.4% | 51 | |
| 44 | Chippewa | 2.4% | 2.5% | 44 | 66 | Outagamie | 1.9% | 2.1% | 62 | |
| 21 | Clark | 3.4% | 3.7% | 17 | 67 | Ozaukee | 1.9% | 2.0% | 67 | |
| 13 | Columbia | 3.8% | 3.6% | 20 | 35 | Pepin | 2.6% | 3.1% | 29 | |
| 40 | Crawford | 2.5% | 2.8% | 35 | 49 | Pierce | 2.4% | 2.0% | 69 | |
| 72 | Dane | 1.2% | 1.4% | 72 | 52 | Polk | 2.3% | 2.3% | 56 | |
| 58 | Dodge | 2.1% | 2.2% | 59 | 45 | Portage | 2.4% | 2.5% | 45 | |
| 19 | Door | 3.5% | 3.8% | 16 | 26 | Price | 3.0% | 3.5% | 21 | |
| 20 | Douglas | 3.4% | 4.1% | 11 | 23 | Racine | 3.2% | 3.4% | 22 | |
| 69 | Dunn | 1.8% | 2.0% | 66 | 61 | Richland | 2.0% | 2.3% | 53 | |
| 50 | Eau Claire | 2.3% | 2.5% | 43 | 29 | Rock | 2.9% | 3.1% | 30 | |
| 5 | Florence | 4.5% | 4.8% | 5 | 10 | Rusk | 4.0% | 4.1% | 12 | |
| 47 | Fond Du Lac | 2.4% | 2.4% | 50 | 38 | Sauk | 2.6% | 2.5% | 46 | |
| 31 | Forest | 2.9% | 2.9% | 33 | 8 | Sawyer | 4.1% | 4.6% | 7 | |
| 6 | Grant | 4.3% | 5.1% | 3 | 43 | Shawano | 2.4% | 2.6% | 41 | |
| 60 | Green | 2.0% | 2.3% | 52 | 54 | Sheboygan | 2.2% | 2.3% | 55 | |
| 36 | Green Lake | 2.6% | 2.8% | 36 | 65 | St. Croix | 2.0% | 1.7% | 71 | |
| 59 | Iowa | 2.1% | 2.2% | 60 | 51 | Taylor | 2.3% | 2.4% | 48 | |
| 3 | Iron | 5.3% | 5.6% | 2 | 32 | Trempealeau | 2.9% | 2.9% | 34 | |
| 22 | Jackson | 3.3% | 3.2% | 28 | 28 | Vernon | 3.0% | 3.1% | 31 | |
| 68 | Jefferson | 1.8% | 2.1% | 61 | 39 | Vilas | 2.6% | 2.3% | 57 | |
| 4 | Juneau | 5.0% | 4.8% | 6 | 71 | Walworth | 1.6% | 1.8% | 70 | |
| 30 | Kenosha | 2.9% | 2.9% | 32 | 12 | Washburn | 3.9% | 4.0% | 14 | |
| 37 | Kewaunee | 2.6% | 2.7% | 39 | 55 | Washington | 2.2% | 2.1% | 64 | |
| 64 | La Crosse | 2.0% | 2.0% | 68 | 62 | Waukesha | 2.0% | 2.2% | 58 | |
| 33 | Lafayette | 2.8% | 3.3% | 23 | 41 | Waupaca | 2.5% | 2.7% | 38 | |
| 15 | Langlade | 3.7% | 4.4% | 8 | 24 | Waushara | 3.2% | 3.3% | 24 | |
| 25 | Lincoln | 3.1% | 3.2% | 27 | 57 | Winnebago | 2.1% | 2.3% | 54 | |
| 42 | Manitowoc | 2.4% | 2.7% | 37 | 56 | Wood | 2.1% | 2.4% | 47 |