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Wisconsin News Release: State jobless rate at 3.4 percent in May, 1999
We've got NEWS
Thursday, June 24, 1999
Governor
Tommy G. Thompson
Secretary
Linda Stewart
News Media Contact
DWD News Office
608/264-6811
e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us
fax: 608/266-1784

For more information contact:
August Cibarich, 608/266-0522

State jobless rate at 3.4 percent in May

Madison, Wis. – The state’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in mid-May, according to preliminary data released today by the State Department of Workforce Development.

The latest May unemployment rate ties for the third lowest May unemployment rate since 1960.  The lowest May rate was recorded in 1966 at 3.1 percent.  Last May, the unemployment rate was 3.2 percent.

"Wisconsin’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate has changed little in the last five months, moving in a narrow range between 3.1 and 3.5 percent," said Orlando Canto, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Workforce Development.

The May adjusted employment rate increased slightly from 3.1 percent in mid-April to 3.4 percent in mid-May.  Before adjustment, the rate declined from 3.3 to 3.1 percent, a smaller than normal change for the month of May.

Wisconsin’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate has remained below four percent for the 53rd consecutive month.  The latest unemployment rate for the state also remained below the comparable U.S. rate for May, which was 4.2 percent.   The state’s unemployment rate has been below the national average for every month since January 1988.

In May, seasoally-adjusted figures indicate that 2,972,000 people were in the state’s labor force, and 2,871,800, people were employed in the state.

The total number of nonfarm wage and salary jobs, or payroll jobs, increased by 29,400 over the month to 2,753,700.  Since 1988, the number of payroll jobs has increased at a faster rate in Wisconsin than nationally. The number of payroll jobs has increased by 26.5 percent in Wisconsin compared to 21.8 percent in the nation.

More people are employed in payroll jobs in Wisconsin compared to the national average.   Currently, 68.8 percent of Wisconsin’s working age population is employed in nonfarm and salary wage jobs.  Nationally, the percentage is 61.8 percent.

Construction employment declined by 2,700 and indicated a below normal seasonal change after adjustment. The decline in construction employment accounted for about one-third of the shortfall in the May employment gain.  May construction hiring fell short of seasonal expectations.  It is likely that the early season strength in this industry was a factor in the reduced employment gain over the current month.

Trucking and warehousing also contributed to the below normal employment as did durable goods manufacturing.  The trucking and warehousing industries were down 900 jobs over the previous month after adjustment.  The durable goods sector of manufacturing was weak losing 200 jobs after adjustment.

After seasonal adjustment, industries with better than seasonal change included trade, service and the finance, insurance and real estate.

The trade industry reported a seasonal growth of 1,200 jobs over the month to 615,900. The service industry also reported a growth of 3,600 over the month to 720,400 after seasonal-adjustment.  Since last May, employment growth in the service industry has increased by 12,700 before adjustment.

The Finance, Insurance and Real Estate sector grew by 700 jobs over the month, to 147,300, indicating improvements when seasonally-adjusted.  The unadjusted figure indicates that the sector has increased by 4,300 jobs over the year.

Seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates were up in 10 of the Wisconsin’s largest urban areas over the month, and ranged from 1.5 percent in Madison to 4.9 percent in Racine.  Seven of the state’s 11 metropolitan areas had unemployment rates lower than the statewide average, compared to a year ago when nine of the areas had lower rates.

The rate for a 12th area, Duluth-Superior, declined over the month from 3.9 to 3.3 per cent and also was down from the year-ago April rate of 3.5 per cent.  Only unadjusted data is available for that area from the Minnesota Department of Economic Security and is not comparable to seasonally-adjusted rates in Wisconsin.

The complete text of the Department’s announcement and supporting data, as well as other labor market information, is available to the public on the agency’s Web site at <http://www.dwd.state.wi.us>.  Select "news releases."  Historical and other related labor market data is available by selecting "labor market information."

(end)

Employment and Labor Force
Household Survey

Unadjusted estimates

May 1999

April 1999

May 1998

Total labor force

2,966,600

2,947,400

2,933,300

Employed

2,874,700

2,850,600

2,847,400

Unemployed

92,000

96,800

85,800

Wis. Unemployment Rate

3.1%

3.3%

2.9%

U.S. Unemployment Rate

4.0%

4.1%

4.2%

 

Seasonally adjusted

May 1999

April 1999

May 1998

Total labor force

2,972,000

2,968,600

2,939,600

Employed

2,871,800

2,876,500

2,846,000

Unemployed

100,200

92,100

93,700

Wis. Unemployment

3.4%

3.1%

3.2%

U.S. Unemployment

4.2%

4.3%

4.4%

 

*Metro
National rank
April 1999

Unemployment
% seasonally adjusted

May
1999

April
1999

May
1998

14th*
(May)

Wisconsin

3.4%

3.1%

3.2%

57th

Appleton-Oshkosh

2.5

2.3

2.6

215th

Eau Claire

3.8

3.5

3.1

49th

Green Bay

2.6

2.3

2.6

167th

Janesville-Beloit

3.6

3.9

3.6

132nd

Kenosha

3.5

3.2

3.1

69th

La Crosse

3.0

2.5

2.6

4th

Madison

1.5

1.4

1.5

132nd

Milwaukee-Waukesha

3.3

3.2

3.0

243rd

Racine

4.9

4.2

3.8

25th

Sheboygan

2.3

2.0

2.1

132nd

Wausau

3.2

2.8

3.2
  • This is the latest available data for the U.S.’s 329 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.
  • **State ranking is seasonally adjusted for the current month
  • *Metropolitan ranking is not seasonally adjusted and is for the prior month

Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Non-Farm Wage & Salary
Employer Survey
In Thousands

 

May
1999

April
1999

Year
Ago

+/-
month

+/–
year
NONFARM WAGE & SALARY

2753.7

2724.3

2726.1

29.4

27.6

           
MANUFACTURING

609.3

608.8

615.8

0.5

-6.5

DURABLE GOODS .

374.1

374.0

379.6

0.1

-5.5

Lumber and Wood Products

32.1

31.6

31.3

0.5

0.8

Furniture and Fixtures

17.4

17.4

17.7

0.0

-0.3

Stone, Clay & Glass Products

11.1

10.7

11.2

0.4

-0.1

Primary Metal Industries

25.2

25.3

25.6

-0.1

-0.4

Fabricated Metal Products

68.0

68.4

69.2

-0.4

-1.2

Nonelectrical Machinery

113.1

113.4

115.9

-0.3

-2.8

Electrical Machinery

44.6

44.6

46.4

0.0

-1.8

Transportation Equipment .

33.9

33.7

33.1

0.2

0.8

Prof., Scient. & Control Instr

18.1

18.1

17.9

0.0

0.2

Miscellaneous Manufacturing

10.6

10.8

11.3

-0.2

-0.7

           
NONDURABLE GOODS

235.3

234.8

236.3

0.5

-1.0

Food and Kindred Products

62.8

62.1

62.9

0.7

-0.1

Textile Mill Products

2.6

2.7

2.8

-0.1

-0.2

Apparel & Other Finished Products

6.3

6.3

6.2

0.0

0.1

Paper and Allied Products.

52.1

52.2

52.6

-0.1

-0.5

Printing, Publishing & Allied

54.9

55.1

54.9

-0.2

0.0

Chemicals and Allied Products

15.1

15.0

14.7

0.1

0.4

Rubber & Misc. Plastic Products

37.1

37.2

37.4

-0.1

-0.3

Leather & Leather Products

3.9

3.9

4.5

0.0

-0.6

All Other Nondurable Goods

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.0

0.0

           
MINING

2.7

2.5

3.0

0.2

-0.3

CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION

121.6

113.4

115.7

8.2

5.9

TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS

129.2

128.9

128.4

0.3

0.8

TRADE

615.9

604.4

610.3

11.5

5.6

WHOLESALE TRADE

138.8

137.8

136.8

1.0

2.0

RETAIL TRADE

477.1

466.6

473.5

10.5

3.6

FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE

147.3

146.6

143.0

0.7

4.3

SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS

720.4

712.5

707.7

7.9

12.7

           
GOVERNMENT

29.4

29.5

29.4

-0.1

0.0

FEDERAL

101.9

103.9

100.3

-2.0

1.6

STATE

276.0

273.8

272.4

2.2

3.6

LOCAL          
           
PERSONS INVOLVED IN L-M DISPUTES

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

 

Maps of May 1999 Unemployment Rates by County

Unemployment by County
May 1999
Not seasonally adjusted

RANK COUNTY RATE LAST
RATE		 LAST
RANK		 YR
AGO
RATE		 RANK COUNTY RATE LAST
RATE		 LAST
RANK		 YR
AGO
RATE
                         

45

 ADAMS

3.0%

3.7%

40

3.4%

51

 MARATHON

2.8%

3.2%

52

2.9%

2

 ASHLAND

8.6%

9.8%

3

7.9%

10

 MARINETTE

4.8%

5.4%

19

5.4%

29

 BARRON

3.6%

4.3%

29

3.4%

13

 MARQUETTE

4.7%

5.5%

18

4.8%

7

 BAYFIELD

5.3%

8.6%

5

5.6%

1

 MENOMINEE

11.7%

10.9%

1

10.5%

60

 BROWN

2.5%

2.4%

67

2.5%

22

 MILWAUKEE

4.2%

4.0%

34

3.6%

54

 BUFFALO

2.6%

3.5%

46

2.2%

32

 MONROE

3.5%

3.8%

38

3.0%

19

 BURNETT

4.3%

5.5%

16

2.9%

17

 OCONTO

4.5%

5.2%

21

4.4%

65

 CALUMET

2.3%

2.5%

63

2.4%

23

 ONEIDA

4.1%

5.9%

13

3.6%

26

 CHIPPEWA

3.8%

4.9%

24

2.8%

59

 OUTAGAMIE

2.5%

2.7%

57

2.5%

9

 CLARK

4.8%

6.2%

12

4.6%

71

 OZAUKEE

1.9%

1.9%

71

1.9%

27

 COLUMBIA

3.8%

4.4%

27

3.7%

44

 PEPIN

3.0%

3.9%

35

3.2%

40

 CRAWFORD

3.3%

3.7%

42

3.4%

63

 PIERCE

2.4%

2.5%

65

1.9%

72

 DANE

1.4%

1.4%

72

1.4%

30

 POLK

3.6%

4.0%

33

3.5%

57

 DODGE

2.6%

2.7%

58

2.5%

36

 PORTAGE

3.5%

3.4%

49

3.6%

24

 DOOR

4.1%

5.6%

14

4.1%

3

 PRICE

8.0%

10.3%

2

4.7%

12

 DOUGLAS

4.7%

5.5%

17

4.3%

15

 RACINE

4.6%

4.4%

28

3.6%

46

 DUNN

3.0%

3.7%

41

2.6%

55

 RICHLAND

2.6%

3.3%

50

2.9%

47

 EAU CLAIRE

3.0%

3.5%

47

2.6%

35

 ROCK

3.5%

3.5%

48

3.6%

4

 FLORENCE

7.4%

8.4%

6

5.8%

20

 RUSK

4.2%

5.3%

20

4.8%

61

 FOND DU LAC

2.4%

2.6%

61

2.7%

58

 SAUK

2.5%

3.1%

54

2.9%

11

 FOREST

4.7%

6.3%

11

7.0%

8

 SAWYER

4.9%

7.2%

9

4.9%

43

 GRANT

3.2%

4.0%

31

3.5%

39

 SHAWANO

3.3%

3.9%

36

3.4%

33

 GREEN

3.5%

3.7%

43

3.3%

70

 SHEBOYGAN

2.2%

2.0%

70

2.0%

37

 GREEN LAKE

3.4%

4.4%

26

4.2%

67

 ST. CROIX

2.2%

2.6%

60

2.1%

56

 IOWA

2.6%

3.1%

55

2.7%

42

 TAYLOR

3.2%

5.1%

22

3.3%

6

 IRON

6.6%

9.6%

4

8.5%

48

 TREMPEALEAU

2.9%

4.1%

30

3.1%

50

 JACKSON

2.8%

3.6%

45

3.0%

38

 VERNON

3.3%

4.0%

32

3.3%

62

 JEFFERSON

2.4%

2.6%

62

2.3%

28

 VILAS

3.7%

7.5%

8

3.2%

5

 JUNEAU

7.2%

7.6%

7

5.8%

66

 WALWORTH

2.3%

2.5%

64

2.3%

41

 KENOSHA

3.3%

3.2%

53

2.9%

16

 WASHBURN

4.5%

6.3%

10

4.0%

52

 KEWAUNEE

2.8%

3.1%

56

2.6%

68

 WASHINGTON

2.2%

2.2%

68

2.6%

53

 LA CROSSE

2.7%

2.7%

59

2.3%

69

 WAUKESHA

2.2%

2.1%

69

2.1%

34

 LAFAYETTE

3.5%

3.7%

44

3.3%

49

 WAUPACA

2.9%

3.3%

51

2.8%

18

 LANGLADE

4.3%

5.6%

15

4.3%

21

 WAUSHARA

4.2%

4.5%

25

4.6%

14

 LINCOLN

4.7%

5.0%

23

4.0%

64

 WINNEBAGO

2.4%

2.4%

66

2.6%

25

 MANITOWOC

4.1%

3.9%

37

2.8%

31

 WOOD

3.6%

3.8%

39

3.9%

Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development