The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced today that wages were up 6.7 percent in the first quarter in Wisconsin.
According to the DWD, Wisconsin wage earners received record first quarter wages of $27.6 billion, up 6.7 percent or $1.75 billion from the first quarter in 2011. Total wages in the first quarter of 2008 exceeded $26.53 billion, but declined in the 2009 first quarter and again in the 2010 first quarter. Wages grew in the first quarters of both 2011 and 2012.
In reaction to the wage growth, Gov. Scott Walker said, Wisconsin’s economy is headed in the right direction. After years of massive job losses and staggering wage decreases we are now experiencing sustained private sector job creation and wage increases. We have provided a stable economic climate in Wisconsin by eliminating a $3.6 billion budget deficit without raising taxes, without reducing services, and without making cuts to programs Medicaid. With the long-term structural reforms put in place last year, job creators have certainty that they can create jobs and increase wages without being penalized by state government. Moving forward I will remain focused on making it easier for employers to create jobs and increase wages.”
