The job market in Wisconsin is off to a good start in 2017.
The state’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.7 percent in February on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by the state Department of Workforce Development.
That’s the lowest the Wisconsin unemployment rate has been since November of 2000, according to the DWD. It is a full percentage point lower than the U.S. unemployment rate for the month of 4.7 percent.
Wisconsin added 7,600 private sector jobs in February, including 5,200 in the “leisure and hospitality” sector.
The state also added 3,500 government jobs during the month. So the state added a total of 11,100 nonfarm jobs in February.
Also, revised data for January shows the state added more jobs than originally reported. Wisconsin’s economy added 10,400 private sector jobs in January. The original private sector job growth estimate for the month was 5,800, a difference of 4,600.
That means the state’s economy added 18,000 private sector jobs during the first two months of the year. In all of 2016 the state only added 17,200 private sector jobs.
“Wisconsin is working,” Gov. Scott Walker said in a news release. “More people are working than ever before in our history, wages are up, and the last time our unemployment rate was this low Tommy Thompson was governor and Bill Clinton was president. This is outstanding news for people all across our state, but there is more work to be done.”
The labor force participation rate in Wisconsin increased from 68.1 percent in January to 68.3 percent in February.
However, employment in the metro Milwaukee area dipped 0.2 percent in January, according to a Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce report.
Read more economic data reports at the BizTracker page.
