The June 2012 state-level employment numbers have been published by the Department of Labor. The State of Wisconsin’s Unemployment Rate increased in June to a 2012-high of 7.0%. This was the second straight monthly increase for Wisconsin and the rate now exceeds the January 2012 unemployment rate of 6.9%. The real impact of these numbers is that in June there were around 8,000 fewer individuals employed in the state than in May. The numbers also mean an approximate 6,800 increase in the number of unemployed in Wisconsin in addition to a decrease of 1,000 in the overall civilian labor force.
Although the trend has been upward, when compared with a year ago the current unemployment rate is still better than the June 2011 rate of 7.6%. There are over 18,000 fewer unemployed workers and over 32,000 more individuals employed in WI than one year before, resulting in the big improvement in the unemployment rate over that period. Additionally, Wisconsin’s June 2012 unemployment is still much better than the June national average of 8.2%.
When comparing Wisconsin industries month-over-month, we see that June was a difficult month of most. Just a few business sectors saw improvements in their employment numbers. These included Education & Health Service and Information. Industries that had a decrease for the month were Manufacturing, Financial Activities, Construction, Leisure & Hospitality, Other Services, and Government.
We can get a more detailed look at Wisconsin by reviewing the numbers reported for the major metro areas. The trend is much like the business sector numbers, as many metropolitan areas watched their rate go up in June. On the increase in June were Wausau (7.7%), Sheboygan (7.2%), and La Crosse (5.9%). The City of Appleton’s unemployment rate rose to 6.8% from 6.1% in May. Unfortunately, many of the increases were even larger, with several cities gaining a full percentage point during the month. These included Eau Claire (7.1), Janesville (9.4%) and Racine (9.2%). Madison’s June rate went up to 5.5%, but it remained the low rate in the state for metropolitan areas for the month. Finally, not immune the major city area of Milwaukee also rose to a 2012-high of 8.3%.
Next let’s have a look at other neighboring states in the Midwest for June 2012. The States of Iowa (5.1%) and Minnesota (5.6%) continue to have significantly lower unemployment rates than Wisconsin. However, the States of Michigan (8.6%) and Illinois (8.7%) are still significantly higher than WI in June 2012. Both of these trends have held true for much of 2012.
Sometime later this Summer the Department of Labor will publish the Wisconsin employment numbers and statistics for July. When they do, we’ll once again review the state and compare it’s cities and industries. Please be aware that previously released employment statistics may be adjusted at a later date.
WI Unemployment 