Wisconsin lost 8,500 private sector jobs in September

Wisconsin lost more than 10,000 non-farm jobs in September, including 8,500 in the private sector. But the state’s unemployment rate also declined to its lowest level since early 2001, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The state lost a seasonally adjusted 10,500 nonfarm jobs in during the month, including both the public and private sectors. Many of the jobs lost were in the leisure and hospitality industry with a drop of 4,000. The non-seasonally adjusted figures show the state losing 22,100 jobs in that sector alone as the summer tourism season came to an end.

Labor force participation increased slightly to 68.4 percent with 3,132,300 people in the civilian labor pool. The unemployment rate was down from 4.2 to 4.1 percent, the lowest level since February 2001, according to the state Department of Workforce Development.

“A key challenge today is to find and equip even more workers with the skills needed to fill jobs in the modern economy,” said Ray Allen, Department of Workforce Development secretary, noting unemployment claims are at their lowest levels “in a generation.”

The department touted data showing the state has added 36,000 non-farm jobs since September 2015, including 31,500 in the private sector, even with the loss of 10,500 jobs last month.

An earlier report showing a loss of 6,200 private sector jobs in August was revised up to a loss of 2,700 jobs.

Data on the number of jobs gained or lost and on the labor force are based on two separate surveys. The former is based on a survey of about 5,500 employers and the latter is based on a survey of 985 households.

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