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| Tuesday, October 27, 1998 Governor Tommy G. Thompson Secretary Linda Stewart | News Media Contact DWD News Office 608/267-4400 e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784 |
For more information contact:
August Cibarich, 608/266-0522
State's jobless rate fell in September;
second monthly drop in a row
Madison, Wis. -- Wisconsin’s seasonally-adjusted jobless rate declined to 3.2 per cent in mid-September and to the lowest level for that month in 32 years, according to preliminary data released today by the State Department of Workforce Development.
The slight drop from a revised level of 3.3 per cent in August also was the second decline in as many months after increases in the rate had been recorded in the previous four months.
The August jobless rate initially was reported at 3.2 per cent. The lowest recorded September jobless rate ever was 3.0 per cent, in 1966. Wisconsin’s year-ago jobless rate was 3.7 per cent.
Wisconsin’s rate fell by the same amount as the comparable U.S. rate rose last month. The latter went to 4.6 per cent from 4.5 per cent a month earlier.
Unemployment rates also declined last month in six of the state’s 11 largest urban areas, increased in one, and were unchanged in four others. Rates ranged from 1.5 per cent in Madison to 3.9 per cent in Racine.
"The data continues to be very positive about the health of Wisconsin’s labor market," said Connie O’Connell, the agency’s Executive Assistant. "September’s changes in the Wisconsin labor force reflected the usual retrenchment at this time of year from the higher level of summer economic activity,"
Declines in the number of people with jobs (total employment) and also those out of work "were close to normal last month," she said. "As a result, the size of the labor force was unchanged over the month, after adjustment."
Even the count of payroll jobs (nonfarm wage and salary employment) rose over the month. However, the increase was smaller than normal, making for a net decline of 6,000 to 2,718,900.
O’Connell said little in the September data indicated that the Asian economic crisis was yet hurting Wisconsin’s labor market. "We see little concrete evidence surfacing that shows Asia’s problems are slowing Wisconsin’s economy," O’Connell said. "Still, the impact may begin showing up soon if conditions there and in other parts of the world don’t improve. We’re continuing to watch this closely."
O’Connell said that three of Wisconsin’s major employment sectors -- transportation, communication and public utilities; wholesale trade; and government -- recorded job gains seasonally in September.
The number of transportation, communication and public utilities jobs rose 5,300 to 126,800, or about 1,000 more than normal. Wholesale trade was up seasonally by 700, even though it declined in real terms by 1,300 jobs. Government employment rose slightly more than normal, by 28,700 to 392,000, mainly due to school hiring.
The service industry group and non-durable manufacturing had the largest seasonally-adjusted declines. Also losing some ground in job levels were retail trade, construction, mining, and finance, insurance and real estate.
The Services job count dropped 4,900 to 709,800. Non-durable manufacturing declined by 3,700 jobs over the month to 244,200. Retail trade dropped 4,100 jobs to end the period with a total of 485,400. Construction declined by 2,200 jobs to 122,900. Mining was down 100 jobs to 2,500. Finance, insurance and real estate lost 1,100 to decline to 145,300.
Only Mining was down over the year, while non-durable goods manufacturing matched its year-ago level. All other major sectors were up over the year, led by a rise of 15,000 jobs in Services and 11,400 in Retail and Wholesale Trade.
Nonfarm wage and salary employment was up 51,000 overall over the year, O’Connell said.
The state’s seasonally-adjusted rate has remained below the comparable U.S. rate for 133 consecutive months, she added.
In other related news:
| Unadjusted estimates | September 1998 | Prior month | Year ago |
Total labor force | 2,963,100 | 2,998,800 | 2,932,900 |
Employed | 2,883,200 | 2,911,500 | 2,843,400 |
Unemployed | 79,800 | 87,300 | 89,500 |
Wis. Unemployment Rate | 2.7% | 2.9% | 3.1% |
U.S. Unemployment Rate | 4.4% | 4.5% | 4.7% |
| Seasonally adjusted | September 1998 | Prior month | Year ago |
Total labor force | 2,964,900 | 2,964,900 | 2,933,800 |
Employed | 2,868,900 | 2,868,400 | 2,826,400 |
Unemployed | 96,000 | 96,400 | 107,400 |
Wis. Unemployment | 3.2% | 3.3% | 3.7% |
U.S. Unemployment | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.9% |
August | Unemployment | September | Prior | Year |
9th | Wisconsin | 3.2% | 3.3% | 3.7% |
36th | Appleton-Oshkosh | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
51st | Eau Claire | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
42nd | Green Bay | 2.6 | 2.7 | 3.2 |
136th | Janesville-Beloit | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
87th | Kenosha | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
42nd | La Crosse | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
4th | Madison | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 |
123rd | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
165th | Racine | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
26th | Sheboygan | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
73rd | Wausau | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
| * This is the latest available data for the U.S.’s 328 largest metro areas. Urban rankings are NOT seasonally adjusted. Lower is better. Ties are shown only if existing with other Wisconsin urban areas; ties with urban areas in other states are not shown, but are available upon request. Rankings are by the U.S. Labor Department and are based on unadjusted data for the previous month, while the rates shown above for Wisconsin cities are seasonally-adjusted. | ||||
Non-Farm Wage & Salary
Employer Survey
In Thousands
September | August | Year Ago | +/- month | +/– year | |
| NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2744.1 | 2732.1 | 2693.1 | 12.0 | 51.0 |
| MANUFACTURING | 622.2 | 630.5 | 618.7 | -8.3 | 3.5 |
| DURABLE GOODS . | 378.0 | 382.6 | 374.5 | -4.6 | 3.5 |
| Lumber and Wood Products | 32.1 | 32.9 | 31.8 | -0.8 | 0.3 |
| Furniture and Fixtures | 17.4 | 17.6 | 17.1 | -0.2 | 0.3 |
| Stone, Clay & Glass Products | 11.4 | 11.6 | 11.1 | -0.2 | 0.3 |
| Primary Metal Industries | 26.3 | 26.6 | 25.1 | -0.3 | 1.2 |
| Fabricated Metal Products | 66.5 | 67.2 | 66.0 | -0.7 | 0.5 |
| Nonelectrical Machinery | 114.3 | 115.4 | 114.1 | -1.1 | 0.2 |
| Electrical Machinery | 46.6 | 47.1 | 46.8 | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| Transportation Equipment . | 33.5 | 33.9 | 32.8 | -0.4 | 0.7 |
| Prof., Scient. & Control Instr | 18.5 | 18.7 | 18.2 | -0.2 | 0.3 |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 11.4 | 11.7 | 11.7 | -0.3 | -0.3 |
| NONDURABLE GOODS | 244.2 | 247.9 | 244.2 | -3.7 | 0.0 |
| Food and Kindred Products | 69.7 | 71.4 | 71.5 | -1.7 | -1.8 |
| Textile Mill Products | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Apparel & Other Finished Products | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.4 | -0.1 | 0.1 |
| Paper and Allied Products. | 53.3 | 54.3 | 53.8 | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| Printing, Publishing & Allied | 55.7 | 56.1 | 53.8 | -0.4 | 1.9 |
| Chemicals and Allied Products | 14.8 | 15.0 | 14.3 | -0.2 | 0.5 |
| Rubber & Misc. Plastic Products | 36.4 | 36.6 | 36.0 | -0.2 | 0.4 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.9 | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| All Other Nondurable Goods | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MINING | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.8 | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION | 122.9 | 125.1 | 117.9 | -2.2 | 5.0 |
| TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS | 126.8 | 121.5 | 124.7 | 5.3 | 2.1 |
| TRADE | 622.6 | 628.0 | 611.2 | -5.4 | 11.4 |
| WHOLESALE TRADE | 137.2 | 138.5 | 133.2 | -1.3 | 4.0 |
| RETAIL TRADE | 485.4 | 489.5 | 478.0 | -4.1 | 7.4 |
| FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE | 145.3 | 146.4 | 140.8 | -1.1 | 4.5 |
| SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS | 709.8 | 714.7 | 694.8 | -4.9 | 15.0 |
| GOVERNMENT | 392.0 | 363.3 | 382.2 | 28.7 | 9.8 |
| FEDERAL | 29.8 | 29.8 | 29.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| STATE | 98.6 | 93.6 | 94.2 | 5.0 | 4.4 |
| LOCAL | 263.6 | 239.9 | 258.5 | 23.7 | 5.1 |
| PERSONS INVOLVED IN L-M DISPUTES | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Maps of September 1998 Unemployment Rates by County
Unemployment by County
September 1998
Not seasonally adjusted
| RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RANK | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | |
33 | ADAMS | 2.8% | 3.3% | 28 | 3.6% | 47 | MARATHON | 2.5% | 2.9% | 36 | 2.6% | |
3 | ASHLAND | 6.3% | 6.4% | 2 | 4.8% | 8 | MARINETTE | 4.6% | 5.2% | 7 | 4.4% | |
31 | BARRON | 2.9% | 3.0% | 34 | 3.4% | 25 | MARQUETTE | 3.1% | 3.2% | 31 | 3.9% | |
13 | BAYFIELD | 3.7% | 4.3% | 12 | 4.1% | 1 | MENOMINEE | 8.8% | 8.9% | 1 | 10.3% | |
53 | BROWN | 2.3% | 2.4% | 54 | 2.9% | 14 | MILWAUKEE | 3.7% | 4.1% | 15 | 4.2% | |
70 | BUFFALO | 2.1% | 2.0% | 71 | 2.8% | 4 | MONROE | 6.1% | 5.4% | 5 | 7.8% | |
40 | BURNETT | 2.7% | 2.8% | 41 | 3.3% | 16 | OCONTO | 3.6% | 4.1% | 14 | 4.4% | |
67 | CALUMET | 2.1% | 2.1% | 67 | 2.5% | 29 | ONEIDA | 3.0% | 3.1% | 33 | 3.4% | |
50 | CHIPPEWA | 2.3% | 2.6% | 45 | 2.5% | 68 | OUTAGAMIE | 2.1% | 2.1% | 68 | 2.6% | |
18 | CLARK | 3.5% | 4.2% | 13 | 4.1% | 61 | OZAUKEE | 2.2% | 2.1% | 70 | 2.0% | |
36 | COLUMBIA | 2.8% | 2.9% | 38 | 3.5% | 46 | PEPIN | 2.9% | 35 | 3.1% | ||
27 | CRAWFORD | 3.0% | 3.4% | 26 | 2.9% | 45 | PIERCE | 2.6% | 2.3% | 62 | 2.3% | |
72 | DANE | 1.3% | 1.3% | 72 | 1.5% | 32 | POLK | 2.9% | 2.6% | 47 | 2.9% | |
63 | DODGE | 2.1% | 2.3% | 56 | 2.7% | 42 | PORTAGE | 2.6% | 3.5% | 22 | 2.8% | |
37 | DOOR | 2.8% | 2.9% | 39 | 4.1% | 2 | PRICE | 6.7% | 4.1% | 16 | 3.3% | |
19 | DOUGLAS | 3.4% | 4.5% | 10 | 3.8% | 20 | RACINE | 3.4% | 3.8% | 19 | 3.8% | |
62 | DUNN | 2.1% | 2.5% | 49 | 2.2% | 17 | RICHLAND | 3.6% | 2.6% | 48 | 3.1% | |
51 | EAU CLAIRE | 2.3% | 2.6% | 46 | 2.8% | 22 | ROCK | 3.3% | 3.5% | 24 | 3.6% | |
5 | FLORENCE | 5.3% | 5.9% | 4 | 5.2% | 12 | RUSK | 3.9% | 3.6% | 21 | 6.2% | |
52 | FOND DU LAC | 2.3% | 2.5% | 51 | 2.5% | 66 | SAUK | 2.1% | 2.2% | 64 | 2.6% | |
9 | FOREST | 4.2% | 5.2% | 6 | 3.7% | 15 | SAWYER | 3.7% | 3.8% | 20 | 4.6% | |
34 | GRANT | 2.8% | 3.3% | 29 | 4.4% | 30 | SHAWANO | 2.9% | 3.5% | 23 | 3.5% | |
60 | GREEN | 2.2% | 2.4% | 53 | 2.6% | 69 | SHEBOYGAN | 2.1% | 2.1% | 69 | 2.3% | |
38 | GREEN LAKE | 2.8% | 2.8% | 43 | 3.7% | 39 | ST. CROIX | 2.8% | 2.3% | 63 | 2.2% | |
57 | IOWA | 2.3% | 2.2% | 65 | 2.3% | 48 | TAYLOR | 2.5% | 2.7% | 44 | 2.9% | |
7 | IRON | 5.1% | 5.9% | 3 | 5.1% | 41 | TREMPEALEAU | 2.7% | 2.8% | 42 | 3.9% | |
28 | JACKSON | 3.0% | 3.2% | 30 | 3.6% | 21 | VERNON | 3.4% | 3.5% | 25 | 3.6% | |
64 | JEFFERSON | 2.1% | 2.3% | 57 | 2.8% | 49 | VILAS | 2.5% | 2.3% | 61 | 2.9% | |
6 | JUNEAU | 5.2% | 5.2% | 8 | 7.1% | 71 | WALWORTH | 1.9% | 2.1% | 66 | 2.5% | |
35 | KENOSHA | 2.8% | 3.1% | 32 | 3.1% | 10 | WASHBURN | 4.1% | 4.4% | 11 | 4.6% | |
43 | KEWAUNEE | 2.6% | 2.9% | 37 | 3.1% | 56 | WASHINGTON | 2.3% | 2.3% | 60 | 2.2% | |
59 | LA CROSSE | 2.2% | 2.5% | 50 | 2.3% | 65 | WAUKESHA | 2.1% | 2.3% | 58 | 2.3% | |
58 | LAFAYETTE | 2.2% | 2.8% | 40 | 2.8% | 44 | WAUPACA | 2.6% | 2.5% | 52 | 2.9% | |
11 | LANGLADE | 3.9% | 4.9% | 9 | 4.2% | 23 | WAUSHARA | 3.2% | 3.8% | 18 | 4.3% | |
24 | LINCOLN | 3.2% | 3.4% | 27 | 3.5% | 54 | WINNEBAGO | 2.3% | 2.4% | 55 | 2.6% | |
55 | MANITOWOC | 2.3% | 2.3% | 59 | 2.7% | 26 | WOOD | 3.0% | 3.8% | 17 | 2.9% |
Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
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