Wisconsin Addition of 17,600 Manufacturing Jobs Over Year Ranks 2nd Nationally, 1st in Midwest

Via Business North

MADISON – Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Ray Allen released the following statement on today’s release by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (USDOL/BLS) showing that Wisconsin’s significant addition of 17,600 manufacturing jobs from June 2017 to June 2018 ranked 2^nd nationally and 1^st in the Midwest, while the addition of 2,600 manufacturing jobs from May 2018 to June 2018 also ranked 2^nd nationally and 1^st in the Midwest.  The data released today also showed that Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate of 68.9 percent ranked 5^th nationally and 2^nd in the Midwest, while the state’s near-historic low unemployment rate of 2.9 percent ranked 7^th lowest nationally and 2^ndlowest among Midwestern states.  This news follows yesterday’s release that showed that for the first time in Wisconsin history, the state maintained an unemployment rate below 3 percent for 5 consecutive months.

“Under the leadership of Governor Walker, businesses across many industries are confident in the direction of the Wisconsin economy, they are adding jobs and Wisconsin workers are reaping the benefits,” Secretary Allen said.  “More than 3,000 people entered the labor force in Wisconsin from May to June, and it’s easy to see why; workers are excited about the great career opportunities available, many of which are being created in Wisconsin’s high-paying manufacturing industries.”

Highlights of today’s state-by-state rankings released by BLS include:

• Wisconsin ranks 2^nd nationally in manufacturing jobs added in 2018
• Wisconsin’s ranks 9^th nationally in number of manufacturing jobs added since 2010
• Wisconsin’s addition of 5,500 private sector jobs from May 2018 to June 2018 ranked 14^th nationally
• Wisconsin’s addition of 1,300 construction jobs from May 2018 to June 2018 ranked 8^th nationally
• Wisconsin’s construction growth rate of 1.1 percent from May 2018 to June 2018 ranked 10^th nationally
• Wisconsin’s addition of 7,400 total non-farm jobs from May 2018 to June 2018 ranked 11^th nationally and 3^rd in the Midwest
• Wisconsin’s unemployment rate of 2.9 percent ranked 7^th lowest nationally and 2^nd lowest in the Midwest, trailing only Iowa
• Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate of 68.9 percent ranked 5^th highest nationally
• Wisconsin’s year over year manufacturing growth rate of 3.8 percent ranked 6^th nationally and 2^nd in the Midwest

Other indicators of the state of Wisconsin’s economy include:

• Initial UI claims ended 2017 at their lowest level in the last 30 years.
• Continuing unemployment claims ended 2017 at their lowest level since 1973.
• Moody’s investor Service recently upgraded the state’s credit rating, nothing that “(T)he stable outlook reflects the expectation that the state will experience moderate economic growth and will continue its prudent fiscal management practices.”

The data included in today’s release can be accessed on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.