Department of Workforce Development

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 155^th 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

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