Wisconsin’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.2% in January, down two-tenths from December but up half a percentage point from the same time a year ago, according to the latest data from the state Department of Workforce Development.
The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7% in January.
Total private sector employment in Wisconsin increased by 4,700 jobs from December to January, according to seasonally adjusted data.
The increase was primarily driven by service providing sectors. Health care and social assistance added 2,900 positions, private education added 1,600 and retail traded added 1,100.
Those gains offset service sector job losses that included a drop of 1,500 positions in leisure and hospitality and another 1,300 in professional and scientific services.
On the goods producing side of the equation, Wisconsin added 1,900 jobs, driven almost entirely by the construction sector.
Wisconsin’s overall labor force was essentially flat at just under 3.15 million and the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 65.9%.
Compared to a year ago, the labor force has grown by 47,500 or about 1.5%. The labor force participation rate in the state increased half a percentage point over the past year.
The U.S. labor force participation rate was 62.5% in January, also unchanged from December and up a tenth from a year ago.
