Tuesday, January 27, 1997 Governor Secretary |
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Wisconsin's unemployment in December remained at 3.4 percent for a second straight month while the nation's unemployment went up one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.7 percent, seasonally adjusted.
For calendar 1997, unemployment in Wisconsin averaged 3.7 percent, up from 3.5 percent in 1996. For the sixth straight year, total employment (the number of jobholders) was a record high in 1997. The number of non-farm jobs created by employers also was a record for the year.
There were 55,400 jobs more jobs this December than 12 months ago. Job growth was paced by a robust gain of 10,900 in manufacturing, which grew at a 1.8 percent clip, compared to 1.3 percent for the nation. The finance, insurance and real estate job grouping also grew faster here but the other industry groups lagged behind.
Although total job growth trailed the nation's 2.7 percent annual rate of job growth, Wisconsin's 2.1 percent increase is about double the increase in the state's working-age population.
Many more workers could be absorbed in Wisconsin's economy. Department of Workforce Development labor economists estimate that employers could put 110,000 people to work today, assuming they had the right skills and were in the right place. That includes 14,000 in Dane County, 12,500 each in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties, and 12,000 in Brown County.
"Few others states offer workers so many opportunities as Wisconsin," said Connie Hagen, Department executive assistant secretary.
Unadjusted estimates | December | previous month | in last 12 months |
| Total labor force | 2,948,600 | - 3,300 | +27,200 |
| Employed | 2,860,100 | - 2,900 | +27,200 |
| Unemployed | 88,500 | - 300 | 0.0 |
| Wis. Unemployment | 3.0% | 3.9% | 3.0% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 5.0% | 4.3% | 4.4% |
| Seasonally adjusted | December | previous month | in last 12 months |
| Total labor force | 2,967,400 | +8,100 | +23,100 |
| Employed | 2,865,900 | +8,600 | +23,300 |
| Unemployed | 101,500 | - 500 | - 200 |
| Wis. Unemployment | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.5% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 4.7% | 4.6% | 5.3% |
| Nov.. U.S. rank* | Unemployment % seasonally adjusted | Dec. 1997 | Nov. 1997 | Year ago |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| 48 | Appleton-Oshkosh | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.7 |
| 81 | Eau Claire | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| 57 | Green Bay | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| 124 | Janesville-Beloit | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| 57 | Kenosha | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| 38 | La Crosse | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| 3 | Madison | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| 85 | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
| 209 | Racine | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| 22 | Sheboygan | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| 185 | Wausau | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 |
* of 276 metro areas or 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. November national rankings NOT seasonally adjusted. Lower is better. | ||||
| in thousands | December | November | Year Ago | +/- month | +/- year |
| NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2699.2 | 2702.3 | 2643.8 | -3.1 | 55.4 |
| MANUFACTURING | 607.3 | 606.6 | 596.4 | 0.7 | 10.9 |
| DURABLE GOODS . | 373.1 | 372.4 | 365.0 | 0.7 | 8.1 |
| Lumber and Wood Products | 30.6 | 30.8 | 30.0 | -0.2 | 0.6 |
| Furniture and Fixtures | 16.9 | 16.9 | 16.8 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Stone, Clay & Glass Products | 10.6 | 10.8 | 10.2 | -0.2 | 0.4 |
| Primary Metal Industries | 26.1 | 25.8 | 24.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 |
| Fabricated Metal Products | 65.8 | 65.5 | 64.1 | 0.3 | 1.7 |
| Nonelectrical Machinery | 114.2 | 113.9 | 112.1 | 0.3 | 2.1 |
| Electrical Machinery | 46.3 | 46.1 | 46.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Transportation Equipment . | 32.8 | 32.8 | 32.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Prof., Scient. & Control Instr | 18.2 | 18.1 | 17.9 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| NONDURABLE GOODS | 234.2 | 234.2 | 231.4 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Food and Kindred Products | 62.6 | 62.9 | 62.9 | -0.3 | -0.3 |
| Textile Mill Products | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Apparel & Other Finished Prods. | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.1 | -0.1 | 0.1 |
| Paper and Allied Products . | 52.0 | 52.0 | 51.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Printing, Publishing & Allied . .. | 54.9 | 54.7 | 53.3 | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Chemicals and Allied Products . | 14.1 | 14.0 | 13.8 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Rubber & Misc. Plastic Prods.. | 36.0 | 35.8 | 35.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| All Other Nondurable Goods .. | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MINING | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.3 | -0.4 | 0.0 |
| CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION | 109.0 | 115.9 | 106.8 | -6.9 | 2.2 |
| TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS | 123.3 | 123.6 | 123.2 | -0.3 | 0.1 |
| TRADE | 621.3 | 619.3 | 614.3 | 2.0 | 7.0 |
| WHOLESALE TRADE | 131.9 | 131.6 | 130.3 | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| RETAIL TRADE | 489.4 | 487.7 | 484.0 | 1.7 | 5.4 |
| FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE | 144.4 | 143.4 | 139.7 | 1.0 | 4.7 |
| SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS | 694.0 | 691.5 | 668.5 | 2.5 | 25.5 |
| 397.6 | 399.2 | 392.7 | -1.6 | 4.9 | |
| GOVERNMENT | |||||
| FEDERAL | 30.1 | 29.6 | 30.5 | 0.5 | -0.4 |
| STATE | 98.6 | 101.1 | 96.6 | -2.5 | 2.0 |
| LOCAL | 268.9 | 268.5 | 265.6 | 0.4 | 3.3 |
| PERSONS INVOLVED IN L-M DISPUTES | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | -0.3 |
Rank | County | Dec. | Nov. | Rank | Rank | County | Dec. | Nov. | Rank | |||||||||
| 22 | ADAMS | 5.0% | 4.6% | 21 | 51 | MARATHON | 3.1% | 3.0% | 47 | |||||||||
| 12 | ASHLAND | 5.9% | 5.4% | 11 | 20 | MARINETTE | 5.0% | 4.9% | 15 | |||||||||
| 19 | BARRON | 5.1% | 4.4% | 25 | 3 | MARQUETTE | 7.0% | 5.8% | 7 | |||||||||
| 7 | BAYFIELD | 6.5% | 7.0% | 3 | 1 | MENOMINEE | 7.6% | 8.8% | 1 | |||||||||
| 62 | BROWN | 2.5% | 2.7% | 54 | 48 | MILWAUKEE | 3.1% | 3.6% | 33 | |||||||||
| 44 | BUFFALO | 3.5% | 2.9% | 50 | 29 | MONROE | 4.5% | 4.4% | 23 | |||||||||
| 28 | BURNETT | 4.8% | 3.6% | 36 | 17 | OCONTO | 5.2% | 5.0% | 13 | |||||||||
| 45 | CALUMET | 3.4% | 3.7% | 31 | 24 | ONEIDA | 5.0% | 4.4% | 24 | |||||||||
| 30 | CHIPPEWA | 4.5% | 3.3% | 44 | 59 | OUTAGAMIE | 2.6% | 2.5% | 58 | |||||||||
| 11 | CLARK | 6.0% | 4.7% | 20 | 71 | OZAUKEE | 1.7% | 1.9% | 70 | |||||||||
| 26 | COLUMBIA | 4.8% | 4.8% | 17 | 33 | PEPIN | 4.3% | 3.3% | 43 | |||||||||
| 40 | CRAWFORD | 3.7% | 3.4% | 40 | 57 | PIERCE | 2.7% | 2.2% | 67 | |||||||||
| 72 | DANE | 1.4% | 1.4% | 72 | 37 | POLK | 4.0% | 2.9% | 51 | |||||||||
| 64 | DODGE | 2.5% | 2.3% | 64 | 42 | PORTAGE | 3.6% | 2.8% | 53 | |||||||||
| 5 | DOOR | 6.8% | 6.8% | 4 | 32 | PRICE | 4.3% | 3.6% | 34 | |||||||||
| 35 | DOUGLAS | 4.0% | 4.1% | 27 | 46 | RACINE | 3.2% | 3.3% | 42 | |||||||||
| 54 | DUNN | 2.9% | 2.4% | 62 | 39 | RICHLAND | 3.8% | 3.4% | 41 | |||||||||
| 55 | EAU CLAIRE | 2.8% | 2.6% | 56 | 49 | ROCK | 3.1% | 3.5% | 37 | |||||||||
| 8 | FLORENCE | 6.5% | 5.6% | 9 | 2 | RUSK | 7.3% | 5.4% | 12 | |||||||||
| 53 | FOND DU LAC | 3.0% | 2.9% | 49 | 43 | SAUK | 3.5% | 3.0% | 48 | |||||||||
| 23 | FOREST | 5.0% | 4.5% | 22 | 10 | SAWYER | 6.4% | 5.7% | 8 | |||||||||
| 36 | GRANT | 4.0% | 4.0% | 28 | 34 | SHAWANO | 4.1% | 3.8% | 30 | |||||||||
| 70 | GREEN | 1.8% | 1.8% | 71 | 68 | SHEBOYGAN | 2.0% | 2.2% | 66 | |||||||||
| 21 | GREEN LAKE | 5.0% | 4.7% | 19 | 61 | ST. CROIX | 2.6% | 2.3% | 65 | |||||||||
| 52 | IOWA | 3.1% | 2.4% | 63 | 13 | TAYLOR | 5.5% | 3.7% | 32 | |||||||||
| 6 | IRON | 6.7% | 7.3% | 2 | 25 | TREMPEALEAU | 4.9% | 4.0% | 29 | |||||||||
| 27 | JACKSON | 4.8% | 3.6% | 35 | 31 | VERNON | 4.3% | 4.3% | 26 | |||||||||
| 60 | JEFFERSON | 2.6% | 2.5% | 59 | 16 | VILAS | 5.3% | 4.9% | 16 | |||||||||
| 9 | JUNEAU | 6.4% | 6.4% | 5 | 66 | WALWORTH | 2.3% | 2.4% | 61 | |||||||||
| 58 | KENOSHA | 2.6% | 2.8% | 52 | 4 | WASHBURN | 6.9% | 5.6% | 10 | |||||||||
| 50 | KEWAUNEE | 3.1% | 3.1% | 45 | 67 | WASHINGTON | 2.1% | 2.1% | 69 | |||||||||
| 63 | LA CROSSE | 2.5% | 2.6% | 55 | 69 | WAUKESHA | 2.0% | 2.1% | 68 | |||||||||
| 56 | LAFAYETTE | 2.8% | 2.5% | 60 | 47 | WAUPACA | 3.2% | 3.1% | 46 | |||||||||
| 14 | LANGLADE | 5.4% | 5.8% | 6 | 15 | WAUSHARA | 5.3% | 5.0% | 14 | |||||||||
| 18 | LINCOLN | 5.1% | 4.8% | 18 | 65 | WINNEBAGO | 2.3% | 2.5% | 57 | |||||||||
| 41 | MANITOWOC | 3.6% | 3.5% | 38 | 38 | WOOD | 3.8% | 3.5% | 39 | |||||||||