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Friday, June 26, 1998
Governor
Tommy G. Thompson
Secretary
Linda Stewart
News Media Contact
Michael H. McCoy
608/267-4400
e-mail: mccoymi@dwd.state.wi.us
fax: 608/266-1784

For more information contact:
Jean Rogers, 608/266-3035

W-2 participation in May
little changed

Madison, Wis. -- The number of families participating in the state’s W-2 program was little changed in May, declining slightly from the previous month to just below 16,000 for the first time since the program started.

"The relatively-small changes we now are seeing month to month are about what we expected as we complete the first nine months of operation of ‘Wisconsin Works’," said Linda Stewart, Secretary of the State Department of Workforce (DWD).W-2 was formally implemented Sept. 1, 1997.

Her comments came as DWD data showed an estimated 15,979 families received W-2 services statewide last month, down 2.3 per cent from the 16,350 recorded in April.

Much of the decline came in the number of participants in Community Service jobs. The May total of 9,155 compared to 9,375 in April, a drop of 220. That type of activity still accounted for about 57 per cent of all W-2 participants both months, however, meaning it was not a particularly significant change.

Community Service jobs are held by individuals who are judged not ready for regular employment and need more education or work training. These jobs provide an opportunity to practice work habits and skills that are necessary to succeed in any regular job environment.

Also declining were the number of participants in unsubsidized activities. The May count was 4,718, down from April’s 4,897. That was a drop of 179, or 3.7 per cent.

Although most in that category are in unsubsidized employment, it also includes those who are receiving child care subsidies, job access loans, or selected other W-2 services.

Stewart said the reasons for the changes in the number for those two categories were not readily apparent, but were no cause for concern. "Some of the change could be for purely technical reasons, such as our continuing improvements in our reporting system that increase precision," Stewart said.

The number of those in the other two W-2 categories -- Trial jobs and W-2 Transitions placement -- were little changed and together constituted only about 13 per cent of all W-2 cases. Trial job participants totalled 96 in May, compared to 97 in April, while W-2 Transitions had 2,010 participants in May, up slightly from 1,981 in April.

Milwaukee County, which accounted for 82.9 per cent of all W-2 participating families in April, accounted for a slightly-larger share in May -- 83.9 per cent.

The number of those in Community Service jobs in Milwaukee County fell to 8,369 in May from 8,506 in April, or a drop of 137 and 1.6 per cent. Those in unsubsidized employment and other unsubsidized activities declined slightly, from 3,762 to 3,706. Those in Trial jobs and the W-2 Transitions category were little changed, with 27 in Trial jobs in May compared to 28 a month earlier, and 1,311 in Transitions, up from April’s 1,259.

The W-2 Transitions category provides education and work training for individuals who are unable to successfully participate in one of the other W-2 employment positions for such reasons as various personal barriers, recovering from abusive relationships, incapacitation, and similar reasons.

Trial jobs are subsidized employment contracted by a W-2 agency with an employer and which is expected to lead to a permanent, unsubsidized position. Employers receive a wage subsidy up to $300 a month to cover training costs of those in Trial jobs.

Stewart said her agency still was researching what happened to those formerly receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or AFDC, who did not enroll in W-2 as AFDC ended. The results of that study are expected later this summer, she said, and will give W-2 officials the first solid information as to why some people did not make the transition.

W-2 Placements
as of May 31, 1998

 

Total State

%

Milwaukee

%

Unsubsidized

4718

29.5

3706

27.6

Trial Job

96

0.6

27

0.2

Community Service

9155

57.3

8369

62.4

W-2 Transitions

2010

12.6

1311

9.8

         
Total W-2

15979

100.0

13413

100.0


W-2 May 1998
           
 

1

2

3

4

5

AGENCY

W-2
W/PAYMENT

W-2
WO/PAYMENT

W-2 TOTAL

FOOD STAMPS

MEDICAL
ASSISTANCE

 

col 3 = 1+2

   
STATE TOTAL

11,261

4,718

15,979

73,885

145,687

Adams

5

3

8

329

699

Ashland

3

0

3

379

765

Barron

2

4

6

692

1,684

Bayfield

1

0

1

169

455

Brown

27

13

40

1,885

4,653

Buffalo

8

1

9

213

436

Burnett

6

4

10

215

563

Calumet

2

9

11

167

575

Chippewa

22

11

33

645

1,714

Clark

2

3

5

276

946

Columbia

7

0

7

306

1,040

Crawford

2

1

3

180

542

Dane

319

166

485

3,624

6,353

Dodge

20

9

29

481

1,743

Door

9

10

19

213

594

Douglas

35

29

64

1,014

1,925

Dunn

20

19

39

507

1,071

Eau Claire

36

31

67

1,164

2,528

Florence

2

8

10

62

194

Fond du Lac

29

52

81

639

2,240

Forest

7

0

7

116

431

Grant

3

0

3

345

1,266

Green

4

2

6

266

744

Green Lake

6

2

8

148

472

Iowa

4

2

6

216

468

Iron

0

1

1

83

271

Jackson

4

0

4

243

606

Jefferson

7

2

9

306

1,422

Juneau

21

11

32

274

702

Kenosha

145

208

353

2,003

3,825

Kewaunee

6

3

9

109

447

La Crosse

39

27

66

1,380

2,806

Lafayette

2

1

3

108

289

Langlade

8

4

12

339

757

Lincoln

5

2

7

272

881

Manitowoc

11

0

11

446

1,868

Marinette

0

0

0

1,025

2,753

Marathon

72

27

99

503

1,459

Marquette

1

0

1

148

373

Milwaukee: Region 1

1,062

473

1,535

NA NA
Milwaukee: Region 2

1,157

614

1,771

NA NA
Milwaukee: Region 3

1,872

741

2,613

NA NA
Milwaukee: Region 4

2,101

717

2,818

NA NA
Milwaukee: Region 5

1,730

713

2,443

NA NA
Milwaukee: Region 6

1,773

446

2,219

NA NA
Milwaukee: No Region

12

2

14

NA NA
Milwaukee: Total

9,707

3,706

13,413

35,961

47,190

Monroe

14

16

30

447

1,217

Oconto

3

0

3

298

880

Oneida

11

8

19

463

1,135

Outagamie

56

19

75

553

2,057

Ozaukee

1

4

5

201

769

Pepin

1

1

2

64

248

Pierce

9

2

11

180

656

Polk

4

10

14

408

1,186

Portage

20

12

32

704

1,489

Price

3

16

19

319

737

Racine

162

22

184

2,345

5,016

Richland

2

8

10

226

468

Rock

52

49

101

1,684

3,899

Rusk

2

2

4

272

645

St.Croix

3

9

12

264

1,074

Sauk

19

2

21

421

1,311

Sawyer

6

8

14

312

760

Shawano

22

11

33

344

994

Sheboygan

16

6

22

508

2,162

Taylor

3

3

6

236

625

Trempealeau

11

5

16

361

1,039

Vernon

7

3

10

349

835

Vilas

12

1

13

158

489

Walworth

20

21

41

471

1,653

Washburn

2

3

5

211

569

Washington

19

25

44

449

1,493

Waukesha

25

28

53

954

3,628

Waupaca

11

1

12

308

1,845

Waushara

1

1

2

284

645

Winnebago

40

23

63

1,146

3,078

Wood

32

13

45

957

2,181

Menominee

31

12

43

112

325

Red Cliff

0

0

0

131

156

Stockbridge-Munsee

0

0

0

28

51

Lac du Flambeau

13

1

14

91

185

Bad River

7

0

7

77

131

Sokaogon

0

0

0

23

42

Oneida Tr.

12

2

14

75

264

           
This report is considered preliminary, testing is ongoing. W2 W/Payment category includes CSJ, W2T, JOB & CMC. W2 caseload is determined by cases that are open and eligible during the report month.


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