A Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Thursday shows Wisconsin has had more private-sector jobs in recent months and that the unemployment rate has dropped slightly in March.
The state Department of Workforce Development released the report, covering unemployment and employment statistics based on seasonally adjusted estimates in Wisconsin. The report shows that the state’s unemployment rate has decreased from 4.6 percent in February to 4.5 percent in March. This rate is also lower than the 4.6 percent rate in March 2015 and the national unemployment rate, which increased to 5.0 percent in March of this year.
The report said Wisconsin added 13,000 private-sector jobs from February to March of this year, including a significant gain of 4,200 jobs in manufacturing, one of the state’s biggest industries. Through March 2016, Wisconsin added a significant 47,500 private-sector and 51,200 non-farm jobs, achieving the best year-over-year growth since August 2004 in both categories.
Wisconsin's total employment grew by 58,000 jobs to surpass the 3 million mark, according to the report. Both the state's employment growth and labor force reached all-time highs in March.
"Today's report shows that Wisconsin's employment was higher than ever in March, our unemployment rate dropped over the month while the national rate increased, and the state experienced the best 12 months of job growth since 2004," Department of Workforce Development Secretary Ray Allen said in a statement. "All indicators show that under Governor Walker's leadership, Wisconsin's economy is expanding and adding jobs in 2016."
The report also shows that Wisconsin was one of only 10 states with a lower annual average unemployment rate in 2015 than 2007, the year the Great Recession began. Additionally, the report said initial unemployment insurance claims in 2016 are running at their lowest level since 1990.
