Wisconsin’s economy added 5,500 private sector jobs in June, while its unemployment rate ticked up to 2.9 percent, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by the state Department of Workforce Development on Thursday.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was up from 2.8 percent in May. It remains well below the U.S. unemployment rate, which is at 4.0 percent.
The state added 3,500 service jobs in June, 2,600 manufacturing jobs and 1,300 construction jobs.
May job numbers were also revised to show considerable improvement. The preliminary report showed a loss of 5,300 private sector jobs for that month, but the updated numbers released on Thursday now show a loss of only 800 private sector jobs in May for the state.
So far this year, the state has added 18,100 private sector jobs.
The state also added 1,900 government jobs in June, including 1,700 local government jobs.
The state has added more than 48,000 manufacturing jobs since December of 2010, according to the DWD.
Wisconsin’s labor force increased by 3,300 people during June, bringing the number of active participants in Wisconsin’s labor force to 3,092,100.
“This increase in active job seekers contributed to the slight increase in Wisconsin’s unemployment rate, from a record low of 2.8 percent in April and May to 2.9 percent in June,” the DWD report states. “For the first time in state history, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has remained under 3.0 percent for five consecutive months.”
“These are historically good times for Wisconsin’s economy,” Gov. Scott Walker said in a news release. “We are setting records, and we’ve been below 3 percent unemployment for five straight months. In June, we set new record highs for the number of people employed, as well as the number of people in the labor force. Wisconsin is working, and our future looks bright!”
Read more economic data reports at the BizTracker page.
