The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday that Wisconsin produced a one percent increase in employment and a 2.9 percent increase in weekly wage rate from March 2013 to March 2014.
The Department of Workforce Development showed Wisconsin superseded Illinois and Minnesota in the rate of job growth by creating 28,712 private-sector jobs in this period. In addition, the BLS ranked Wisconsin 16th highest in the number of manufacturing jobs gained from March 2013-2014.
"The state's unemployment rate has dropped to 5.6 percent in August as more people entered the labor force, more people became employed,” Reggie Newson, secretary of the DWD, said in a statement. “These are all positive signs that our economy is growing and Wisconsinites are getting back to work.”
A spokesperson for Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said the DWD failed to look at long-term growth.
“There are two ways to measure job growth, for the data we use, we are tenth out of ten [Midwest states] if you consider the past three years,” Laura Smith said. “Wisconsin is eighth out of the ten, surpassing Illinois and Minnesota, which is still not good. Three years of data is an accurate display of how the economy is doing under Republican leadership.”
Barca’s goals for the upcoming year are to focus on more aggressive job training, domestic manufacturing and clean energy, Smith added.
“Results really matter, these aren’t just numbers, these are people to consider across the state who aren’t getting to work everyday to support their families,” Smith said.
