| Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development News Release | |
|---|---|
| Thursday, July 21, 2005 Governor Jim Doyle Secretary Roberta Gassman |
News Media Contact Rose Lynch 608/266-6753 e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784 |
Web Audio: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/2005/multimedia/ui_june05_state.mp3
Madison – Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Roberta Gassman today announced that Wisconsin’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly at 4.6 percent in June 2005 compared to 4.7 percent in May 2005 and 4.9 percent in June 2004. The June 2005 figure marked the thirteenth straight month of below 5.0 percent for Wisconsin’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate. The June seasonally adjusted rate for the nation was 5.0 percent compared to 5.1 percent in May and 5.6 percent in June 2004.
"Wisconsin's labor market continued to show improvement in June. Summer traditionally brings an increase in the number of job seekers, increasing the number of employed individuals as well as increasing the number of unemployed. This year the number of unemployed fell below historic trends, “ Secretary Gassman said. “Despite this positive movement, there continue to be areas of the state and certain industries experiencing slower recoveries than the state as a whole."
As is normal for June, there was a sizeable increase in the number of individuals entering the civilian labor force, as many young people looked for jobs during the summer season. Many of the new job seekers appeared to find jobs, as the estimated number of people reported as employed rose by almost 51,000. The number of people reported as unemployed saw a slight increase as well, rising slightly from 138,700 in May to 148,400 in June. The increase in unemployed was very moderate by historic standards, as the normal increase is about 21,000 between May and June in Wisconsin.
The unadjusted unemployment rate for Wisconsin in June was 4.8 percent compared to 4.6 percent in May and 5.2 percent in June 2004. The national unadjusted rate in June was 5.2 percent compared to 4.9 percent in May and 5.8 percent in June 2004.
Nonfarm wage and salary jobs were estimated at 2,874,400 in June compared to 2,844,600 in May, and 2,848,800 in June 2004. Particularly noteworthy increases were reported for construction, wholesale trade, professional and business services, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality. Manufacturing was also up but only slightly. The construction industry, which saw record annual employment in 2004, is up 4,800 jobs from 2004 levels for the first six months of 2005.
June employment and unemployment figures for individual counties will be available July 27, 2005. This release also is available at http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/.
Content Contact: Rose Lynch