News Release: December 2000 Wisconsin Unemployment Rates Released
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Thursday, January 18, 2001
Governor
Tommy G. Thompson
Secretary
Jennifer Reinert

News Media Contact
Christopher Marschman
608/261-6705
e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us
fax: 608/266-1784

Contact: August Cibarich, 608/266-0522

DECEMBER UNEMPLOYMENT RATES RELEASED

MADISON – The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) today announced the state’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for the month of December was 3.3 percent, up from 3.0 percent for the month of November.

"December’s unemployment rate of 3.3 percent increased slightly over the previous month, but was still below the state’s 2000 annual rate of 3.5 percent and significantly lower than the nation’s December unemployment rate of 4.0 percent," said DWD Secretary Jennifer Reinert. "It is also encouraging that we ended the year with strong over-the-year employment and job gains," she said.

State labor market analysts said the impact of last year’s interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve Bank finally appeared in the December Wisconsin labor force statistics with employment and labor force levels declining, after seasonal adjustment, and unemployment edging upward. The number of non-farm jobs also declined, but declines were not large.

Areas of strength in the state’s economy, as measured by job gains, were retail trade; transportation and public utilities; and the finance, insurance and real estate industry groups.

The national unemployment rate for the month of December held steady at 4.0 percent, marking the 155th consecutive month that Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has been lower than the national rate.

Secretary Reinert said that efforts to slow growth in nation’s economy had only a slight effect on the growth of state’s economy as the state’s unemployment rate remains significantly lower than the nations 4.0 percent

NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA

County employment and unemployment figures for December should be available on January 28. This release and other labor market information is available on the department Internet site at: http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/dwelmi

(end)

WISCONSIN LABOR FORCE SUMMARY
IN THOUSANDS

        Net Change From
ITEM Prelim.
Dec. 2000
Final 
Nov. 2000
Year Ago
Dec. 1999
Month
Ago 
Year
Ago 
           
PLACE OF RESIDENCE DATA          
 
  CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE

3004.8

3015.9

2975.9

-11.1

28.9

  UNEMPLOYMENT

89.0

80.4

78.0

8.6

11.0

  UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

3.0

2.7

2.6

0.3

0.4

  EMPLOYMENT (1)

2915.9

2935.5

2897.9

-19.6

18.0

           
PLACE OF WORK DATA          
NONFARM WAGE & SALARY

2856.7

2868.7

2816.2

-12.0

40.5

  MANUFACTURING

609.4

612.1

613.3

-2.7

-3.9

  DURABLE GOODS

373.5

375.6

376.9

-2.1

-3.4

     Lumber and Wood Products

32.3

32.6

32.2

-0.3

0.1

     Furniture and Fixtures

19.0

19.0

18.1

0.0

0.9

     Stone, Clay & Glass Products

11.8

12.4

11.5

-0.6

0.3

     Primary Metal Industries

25.7

25.7

26.0

0.0

-0.3

     Fabricated Metal Products

69.1

68.9

68.0

0.2

1.1

     Nonelectrical Machinery

108.9

108.7

111.5

0.2

-2.6

     Electrical Machinery

44.7

44.8

46.2

-0.1

-1.5

     Transportation Equipment

33.3

34.3

34.3

-1.0

-1.0

     Prof., Scient. & Control
     Instruments

17.6

17.6

17.7

0.0

-0.1

     Miscellaneous Manufacturing

11.2

11.5

11.3

-0.3

-0.1

           
  NONDURABLE GOODS

235.9

236.6

236.4

-0.7

-0.5

     Food and Kindred Products

64.7

65.2

64.0

-0.5

0.7

     Textile Mill Products

2.4

2.4

2.5

0.0

-0.1

     Apparel & Other Finished
     Products

5.8

5.8

5.9

0.0

-0.1

     Paper and Allied Products

50.3

50.6

52.1

-0.3

-1.8

     Printing, Publishing & Allied

55.4

55.2

54.5

0.2

0.9

     Chemicals and Allied Products

13.9

13.9

14.1

0.0

-0.2

     Rubber & Misc. Plastic
     Products

39.1

39.2

39.1

-0.1

0.0

     Leather & Leather Products

3.8

3.8

3.9

0.0

-0.1

     All Other Nondurable Goods

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.0

0.1

           
  MINING

2.2

2.6

2.5

-0.4

-0.3

  CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION

121.3

130.1

120.3

-8.8

1.0

  TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS &
  SAN. SERV.

135.9

135.0

133.2

0.9

2.7

  TRADE

663.6

659.3

651.1

4.3

12.5

     WHOLESALE TRADE

141.0

141.0

138.1

0.0

2.9

     RETAIL TRADE

522.6

518.4

512.9

4.2

9.7

  FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL
  ESTATE

152.7

151.8

148.1

0.9

4.6

  SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS

749.1

749.7

741.9

-0.6

7.2

  GOVERNMENT

422.4

428.0

406.0

-5.6

16.4

     FEDERAL

30.6

30.1

30.7

0.5

-0.1

     STATE

101.8

104.6

99.3

-2.8

2.5

     LOCAL

290.0

293.3

275.9

-3.3

14.1

           
  PERSONS INVOLVED IN L-M
  DISPUTES

0.0

0.1

0.0

-0.1

0.0

     (1) Includes L-M Disputes
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED LABOR FORCE ESTIMATES
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE

3009.9

3013.8

2987.2

-3.9

22.7

UNEMPLOYMENT

99.8

90.0

88.6

9.8

11.2

     UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

3.3

3.0

3.0

0.3

0.3

  EMPLOYMENT

2910.0

2923.8

2898.5

-13.8

11.5

NONFARM WAGE & SALARY

2833.3

2841.7

2794.5

-8.4

38.8

  
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Division of Administrative Services
Content Contact:
August Cibarich