Jobs up, unemployment numbers down in most recent state employment report

The Department of Workforce Development released July state employment statistics and preliminary statistics through August Thursday, showing 7,300 new private sector jobs and a slight decrease in unemployment.

The increase in employment has largely come through private sector jobs, such as construction, retail trade, accommodation and food services. The state has also seen a 35,000 job increase in private sector employment in the past year, according to the released data.

The unemployment rate decreased from 6.8 percent in July to 6.7 percent in August. Wisconsin is currently below the national unemployment rate of 7.3 percent.

The DWD data comes from a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.