Monday, October 27, 1997 Governor Secretary |
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Unemployment edged up to 3.7 percent in September, just one-tenth higher than in August but still well below the nation's 4.9 percent.
The number of jobless workers actually went down by 4,300 but the size of the workforce shrank proportionately more, thus causing the small increase in the unemployment rate, as many summertime workers left the workforce to go back to school.
Shortages of job seekers in areas of robust demand continue to hold down growth in the workforce, said Connie Hagen, executive assistant to the secretary of the Department of Workforce Development.
After accounting for such seasonal variations, the number of jobholders is up only 1,300 in September and 6,100 from a year ago at this time. In contrast, the number of jobs reported by employers is up 6,800, seasonally adjusted. The 12-month gain is 42,800.
Chief labor economist August Cibarich explained that increases in dual job holders are partly responsible. So, too, is a suspected decrease in farm employment. (The survey of workers includes self-employed and on-farm workers while the jobs survey of employers does not.)
All private industry groups (listed on page 3) showed job growth over the year except mining; the number of government jobs declined by 1,000.
Madison in August again had the nation's lowest unemployment; Wisconsin had the eighth-lowest.
| Unadjusted estimates | Sept. 1997 | previous month | in last 12 months |
| Total labor force | 2,941,900 | - 25,600 | + 15,500 |
| Employed | 2,850,400 | - 21,300 | + 6,100 |
| Unemployed | 91,500 | - 4,300 | + 9,300 |
| Wis. Unemployment | 3.1% | 3.2% | 2.8% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.0% |
| Seasonally adjusted | Sept. 1997 | previous month | in last 12 months |
| Total labor force | 2,939,600 | + 4,400 | + 12,800 |
| Employed | 2,830,600 | + 1,300 | + 4,000 |
| Unemployed | 109,000 | + 3,100 | + 8,900 |
| Wis, Unemployment | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.4% |
| U.S. Unemployment | 4.9% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
| August U.S. rank* | Unemployment % seasonally adjusted | Sept. 1997 | Aug. 1997 | Sept. 1996 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 |
| 29 | Appleton-Oshkosh | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
| 50 | Eau Claire | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
| 50 | Green Bay | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| 116 | Janesville-Beloit | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| 90 | Kenosha | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| 29 | La Crosse | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| 1 | Madison | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| 108 | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| 152 | Racine | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
| 18 | Sheboygan | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| 57 | Wausau | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
* of 276 metro areas or 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Not seasonally adjusted. Lower is better. | ||||
in thousands | |||||
| TOTALS | 2681.1 | 2661.9 | 2638.3 | +19.2 | +42.8 |
| Manufacturing | 610.4 | 616.8 | 607.5 | -6.4 | +2.9 |
| Durable Goods | 370.6 | 373.0 | 365.2 | -2.4 | +5.4 |
| Lumber And Wood Products | 30.8 | 31.3 | 30.7 | -0.5 | +0.1 |
| Furniture And Fixtures | 16.6 | 16.7 | 16.7 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Stone, Clay & Glass Products | 10.9 | 11.1 | 10.7 | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| Primary Metal Industries . | 25.3 | 25.3 | 24.1 | 0.0 | +1.2 |
| Fabricated Metal Products | 65.5 | 65.8 | 63.6 | -0.3 | +1.9 |
| Nonelectrical Machinery . | 113.2 | 113.9 | 111.4 | -0.7 | +1.8 |
| Electrical Machinery | 46.1 | 46.3 | 46.0 | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| Transportation Equipment . | 32.6 | 32.9 | 32.4 | -0.3 | +0.2 |
| Prof., Scient. & Control Instr. | 18.0 | 18.1 | 18.0 | -0.1 | +0.0 |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.7 | 0.0 | -0.2 |
| Nondurable Goods | 239.8 | 243.8 | 242.3 | -4.0 | -2.5 |
| Food And Kindred Products | 69.8 | 71.5 | 73.0 | -1.7 | -3.2 |
| Textile Mill Products | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 0.0 | +0.2 |
| Apparel & other finished prods | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -0.2 | -0.2 |
| Paper And Allied Products | 51.8 | 53.0 | 52.1 | -1.2 | -0.3 |
| Printing, Publishing & Allied | 54.0 | 54.6 | 52.8 | -0.6 | +1.2 |
| Chemicals And Allied Products | 13.8 | 14.0 | 13.9 | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| Rubber & Misc. Plastic Prods | 35.6 | 35.8 | 35.2 | -0.2 | +0.4 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.4 | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| All Other Nondurable Goods | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Mining | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 | -0.1 | 0.0 |
| Contract Construction | 119.5 | 121.7 | 117.6 | -2.2 | +1.9 |
| Trans, Comm, Elec, Gas | 123.6 | 115.8 | 123.0 | +7.8 | +0.6 |
| Trade | 609.7 | 613.6 | 599.2 | -3.9 | +10.5 |
| Wholesale Trade . | 131.3 | 132.4 | 128.9 | -1.1 | +2.4 |
| Retail Trade | 478.4 | 481.1 | 470.3 | -2.7 | +8.1 |
| Finance, Insure, Real Estate | 142.6 | 143.7 | 138.5 | -1.1 | +4.1 |
| Services And Miscellaneous | 692.7 | 692.9 | 668.7 | -0.2 | +24.0 |
| Government | 379.9 | 354.6 | 380.9 | +25.3 | -1.0 |
| Federal . | 29.5 | 29.6 | 29.9 | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| State | 95.3 | 90.0 | 92.9 | +5.3 | +2.4 |
| Local | 255.1 | 235.0 | 258.1 | +20.1 | -3.0 |
Rank County this last Rank County this last
month month/rank month month/rank
24 Adams 3.8% 4.0% 21 52 Marathon 2.7% 3.0% 45
6 Ashland 5.0% 5.9% 4 13 Marinette 4.4% 4.3% 19
32 Barron 3.4% 3.2% 41 18 Marquette 4.1% 3.9% 26
15 Bayfield 4.3% 4.9% 12 1 Menominee 9.9% 10.2% 1
48 Brown 2.9% 2.9% 49 16 Milwaukee 4.3% 4.4% 16
49 Buffalo 2.9% 2.8% 52 2 Monroe 7.8% 4.5% 15
39 Burnett 3.1% 3.5% 32 11 Oconto 4.5% 4.5% 14
59 Calumet 2.6% 2.6% 56 34 Oneida 3.3% 3.1% 44
58 Chippewa 2.6% 2.7% 53 54 Outagamie 2.7% 2.5% 62
19 Clark 4.1% 3.9% 27 71 Ozaukee 2.1% 2.2% 69
28 Columbia 3.6% 3.6% 30 36 Pepin 3.2% 3.4% 36
41 Crawford 3.0% 3.1% 42 63 Pierce 2.5% 2.3% 68
72 Dane 1.5% 1.5% 72 42 Polk 3.0% 2.6% 58
53 Dodge 2.7% 3.0% 46 43 Portage 2.9% 5.2% 7
17 Door 4.2% 3.3% 38 33 Price 3.3% 3.5% 34
22 Douglas 3.8% 5.0% 10 23 Racine 3.8% 4.2% 20
70 Dunn 2.1% 2.4% 64 38 Richland 3.2% 3.1% 43
47 Eau Claire 2.9% 3.0% 47 25 Rock 3.7% 3.7% 28
7 Florence 5.0% 5.2% 9 4 Rusk 6.1% 5.3% 6
56 Fond Du Lac 2.6% 2.9% 48 60 Sauk 2.6% 2.5% 61
30 Forest 3.5% 4.3% 18 12 Sawyer 4.5% 4.0% 22
8 Grant 4.6% 4.8% 13 29 Shawano 3.6% 3.6% 31
61 Green 2.5% 2.6% 55 67 Sheboygan 2.3% 2.4% 66
27 Green Lake 3.7% 3.4% 37 69 St. Croix 2.2% 2.2% 70
68 Iowa 2.3% 2.2% 71 46 Taylor 2.9% 3.2% 39
5 Iron 5.3% 5.7% 5 21 Trempealeau 3.9% 3.9% 25
20 Jackson 3.9% 3.9% 24 26 Vernon 3.7% 3.7% 29
51 Jefferson 2.8% 2.4% 67 50 Vilas 2.9% 2.6% 57
3 Juneau 7.2% 6.1% 3 62 Walworth 2.5% 2.5% 60
35 Kenosha 3.2% 3.5% 33 9 Washburn 4.6% 4.4% 17
37 Kewaunee 3.2% 3.2% 40 66 Washington 2.3% 2.4% 65
64 La Crosse 2.4% 2.6% 54 65 Waukesha 2.4% 2.5% 59
45 Lafayette 2.9% 3.4% 35 40 Waupaca 3.1% 2.9% 50
14 Langlade 4.3% 6.1% 2 10 Waushara 4.5% 5.0% 11
31 Lincoln 3.5% 3.9% 23 57 Winnebago 2.6% 2.8% 51
55 Manitowoc 2.7% 2.5% 63 44 Wood 2.9% 5.2% 8