Wisconsin lost 2,300 private sector jobs in June and the state’s unemployment rate increased from 2.8% to 2.9%, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Workforce Development.
The state’s labor force participation rate also fell 0.1 percentage points to 67.2%. The labor force has decreased by nearly 24,000 people since participation hit its most recent peak of 68.5% in mid-2017.
“Wisconsin has thousands of residents who remain counted as unemployed by BLS, and even more that are not participating in the labor force, which is why it is incumbent on both government and private industry partners to concentrate efforts on identifying and removing barriers to enter into the workforce and ensuring the skills people learn are relevant in today’s and tomorrow’s workplaces,” DWD Secretary-designee Caleb Frostman said.
June’s decline in private sector employment was primarily driven by the loss of 3,500 jobs in service sectors, including a drop of 1,900 jobs in professional and business services and a drop of 1,000 jobs in retail trade.
Goods producing sectors added 1,200 jobs during the month, led by an increase of 900 jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing.
Government employment increased by 4,200, primarily at the local level, pushing total nonfarm payrolls up by 1,900 for the month.
Compared to June 2018, Wisconsin’s private sector employment increased by 11,200 or 0.44%. Service providing sectors added 7,900 jobs in the last year, with gains in leisure and hospitality, health care, and education offsetting losses in professional and business services.
Goods producing sectors added 3,300 jobs with nondurable goods manufacturing and construction offsetting losses in durable goods manufacturing.
