Monday, June 30, 1997 Governor Secretary |
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Unemployment in Wisconsin remained at 3.4 percent in May, the same as in April. Nationally, unemployment was 4.8 percent.
Unemployment may have been even lower had it not been for cooler than normal weather (five degrees cooler in Milwaukee), said Connie Hagen, the Department of Workforce Development's executive assistant.
In Wisconsin, 10,900 more people were working in May but employers reported 52,100 more jobs than a year ago. What gives? There is some evidence that Wisconsin's tight labor market has prompted employers to become creative and coax more workers to take a second job.
Nationally, about 6.3 percent of employees worked more than one job. Wisconsin does not compile similar statistics. But the percentage of the state's population that has at least one job has never been higher. In Wisconsin, 67.2 percent (compared to 60.1 nationally) of the population aged 16 and over has a job - and that doesn't count farm work or self-employment. Ten years ago in Wisconsin it was 57.8 percent.
In the last 12 months, job growth has been stronger than the national average in construction (6.9 percent growth), finance and real estate, manufacturing, government, and the large service group. Job gains in trade were half the nation's (1.2 percent versus 2.3 percent).
Madison in April had the nation's third-lowest unemployment, behind Lincoln, Neb., and Raleigh-Chapel Hill, N.C. Sheboygan had the 10th lowest.
Unemployment % seasonally adjusted | May 1997 | April 1997 | May 1996 |
| Wisconsin | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| Appleton-Oshkosh | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Eau Claire | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
| Green Bay | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Janesville-Beloit | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| Kenosha | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| La Crosse | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Madison | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| Racine | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| Sheboygan | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| Wausau | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
Unadjusted estimates | May 1997 | previous month | in last 12 months |
| Total labor force | 2,915,500 | +13,100 | +6,200 |
| Employed | 2,820,400 | +26,400 | +10,900 |
| Unemployed | 95,200 | -13,200 | -4,500 |
| Wis. Unemployment | 3.3% | 3.7% | 3.4% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Seasonally adjusted | May 1997 | previous month | in last 12 months |
| Total labor force | 2,916,400 | -3,100 | +6,000 |
| Employed | 2,817,500 | -1,800 | +10,500 |
| Unemployed | 98,900 | -1,300 | -4,500 |
| Wis. Unemployment | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 4.8% | 4.9% | 5.5% |
in thousands | This month | Last month | Year ago | Change in month | Change in year |
| Total NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2657.4 | 2621.0 | 2605.3 | 36.4 | 52.1 |
| MANUFACTURING | 599.9 | 597.1 | 598.3 | 2.8 | 1.6 |
| DURABLE GOODS | 367.7 | 365.5 | 364.3 | 2.2 | 3.4 |
| NONDURABLE GOODS | 232.2 | 231.6 | 233.9 | 0.6 | -1.7 |
| MINING | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| CONSTRUCTION | 113.3 | 103.4 | 106.0 | 9.9 | 7.3 |
| TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS | 123.4 | 121.5 | 122.4 | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| TRADE | 603.0 | 591.3 | 595.7 | 11.7 | 7.3 |
| WHOLESALE TRADE | 131.2 | 130.1 | 129.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| RETAIL TRADE | 471.8 | 461.2 | 466.0 | 10.6 | 5.8 |
| FINANCE, Insure, Real Estate | 141.3 | 140.5 | 137.9 | 0.8 | 3.4 |
| SERVICES, MISC. | 678.9 | 670.3 | 653.0 | 8.6 | 25.9 |
| GOVERNMENT | 394.8 | 394.3 | 389.3 | 0.5 | 5.5 |
| FEDERAL | 29.4 | 29.4 | 30.0 | 0.0 | -0.6 |
| STATE | 98.0 | 99.1 | 94.8 | -1.1 | 3.2 |
| LOCAL | 267.3 | 265.8 | 264.5 | 1.5 | 2.8 |
| Rank | County | this month | last month | last rank | Rank | County | this month | last month | last rank | |
| 23 | Adams | 4.5% | 5.8% | 26 | 50 | Marathon | 3.1% | 3.9% | 45 | |
| 4 | Ashland | 6.8% | 8.7% | 5 | 15 | Marinette | 5.1% | 6.2% | 23 | |
| 40 | Barron | 3.5% | 5.2% | 32 | 13 | Marquette | 5.4% | 7.1% | 15 | |
| 7 | Bayfield | 6.1% | 8.6% | 6 | 1 | Menominee | 12.0% | 11.6 | 1 | |
| 54 | Brown | 3.0% | 3.2% | 60 | 26 | Milwaukee | 4.1% | 3.9% | 48 | |
| 55 | Buffalo | 2.9% | 4.2% | 42 | 35 | Monroe | 3.7% | 4.6% | 39 | |
| 32 | Burnett | 3.8% | 5.7% | 27 | 14 | Oconto | 5.1% | 6.7% | 16 | |
| 62 | Calumet | 2.6% | 3.1% | 62 | 39 | Oneida | 3.5% | 6.2% | 21 | |
| 47 | Chippewa | 3.1% | 5.0% | 33 | 61 | Outagamie | 2.6% | 3.2% | 59 | |
| 10 | Clark | 5.7% | 7.5% | 12 | 71 | Ozaukee | 1.9% | 1.8% | 71 | |
| 24 | Columbia | 4.4% | 5.3% | 31 | 29 | Pepin | 4.0% | 4.9% | 36 | |
| 41 | Crawford | 3.5% | 4.3% | 40 | 68 | Pierce | 2.4% | 3.3% | 58 | |
| 72 | Dane | 1.5% | 1.7% | 72 | 43 | Polk | 3.2% | 4.6% | 38 | |
| 63 | Dodge | 2.6% | 3.1% | 63 | 28 | Portage | 4.0% | 5.0% | 35 | |
| 19 | Door | 4.8% | 7.1% | 13 | 20 | Price | 4.8% | 6.6% | 17 | |
| 16 | Douglas | 5.0% | 6.2% | 22 | 36 | Racine | 3.7% | 3.9% | 7 | |
| 58 | Dunn | 2.8% | 3.6% | 54 | 52 | Richland | 3.0% | 3.8% | 50 | |
| 53 | Eau Claire | 3.0% | 3.5% | 55 | 27 | Rock | 4.1% | 3.8% | 52 | |
| 3 | Florence | 7.9% | 10.3 | 3 | 6 | Rusk | 6.3% | 9.5% | 4 | |
| 51 | Fond Du Lac | 3.1% | 3.7% | 53 | 49 | Sauk | 3.1% | 4.0% | 44 | |
| 9 | Forest | 5.7% | 7.7% | 10 | 12 | Sawyer | 5.4% | 8.5% | 7 | |
| 18 | Grant | 4.9% | 5.9% | 24 | 25 | Shawano | 4.3% | 5.5% | 28 | |
| 42 | Green | 3.3% | 3.5% | 56 | 69 | Sheboygan | 2.3% | 2.3% | 70 | |
| 11 | Green Lake | 5.5% | 5.4% | 30 | 70 | St. Croix | 2.2% | 3.4% | 57 | |
| 57 | Iowa | 2.8% | 4.2% | 41 | 33 | Taylor | 3.7% | 7.5% | 11 | |
| 2 | Iron | 9.0% | 10.7 | 2 | 37 | Trempealea | 3.6% | 5.4% | 29 | |
| 30 | Jackson | 3.9% | 5.8% | 25 | 38 | Vernon | 3.6% | 5.0% | 34 | |
| 64 | Jefferson | 2.6% | 3.0% | 67 | 31 | Vilas | 3.8% | 8.1% | 8 | |
| 5 | Juneau | 6.6% | 7.9% | 9 | 60 | Walworth | 2.8% | 3.0% | 68 | |
| 46 | Kenosha | 3.2% | 3.2% | 61 | 17 | Washburn | 4.9% | 7.1% | 14 | |
| 48 | Kewaunee | 3.1% | 4.0% | 43 | 66 | Washington | 2.5% | 3.0% | 66 | |
| 65 | La Crosse | 3.2% | 3.8% | 51 | 44 | Waupaca | 3.2% | 3.9% | 46 | |
| 21 | Langlade | 4.7% | 6.4% | 18 | 8 | Waushara | 5.8% | 6.3% | 20 | |
| 22 | Lincoln | 4.6% | 6.3% | 19 | 59 | Winnebago | 2.8% | 3.1% | 64 | |
| 56 | Manitowoc | 2.9% | 3.8% | 49 | 34 | Wood | 3.7% | 4.7% | 37 |