Unemployment rates decrease across southeastern Wisconsin
The Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis metropolitan area saw its unemployment rate decrease from 5.3 percent to 4.4 percent over the 12 month period ending in November, according to preliminary unadjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There were 43,800 unemployed in the Milwaukee metro area in November 2014, compared with just 36,400 in November 2015.
In the Racine metropolitan area, 5,700 were unemployed in November 2014, compared with 4,800 in November 2015. The unemployment rate in Racine decreased from 5.8 percent to 4.9 percent during the 12-month period.
In the Sheboygan metropolitan area, 2,400 were unemployed in November 2014, and 2,100 were unemployed in November 2015. The unemployment rate in Sheboygan decreased from 3.9 percent to 3.3 percent during the year.
Wisconsin as a whole saw its unemployment rate decrease from 4.7 percent to 4 percent in the November 2014 to November 2015 time period.
In November 2014, there were 146,300 unemployed Wisconsin residents, and by November 2015, that figure had decreased to 123,900
MilwaukeeJobs.com to expand, add up to 100 employees
Job search site MilwaukeeJobs.com plans to nearly double its office space in downtown Milwaukee and add up to 100 employees over the next two years.
The Milwaukee-based company currently has 65 employees in Milwaukee and another 15 employees at its Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis offices, said Liz Dotson, vice president. It occupies 22,000 square feet on the 11th floor of the 1000 North Water building in downtown Milwaukee, and in the first quarter of 2016 will expand to the 12th floor as well, for a total of 40,000 square feet.
“The last few years we have started offering government compliance services for our employers, and that has helped us grow tremendously,” Dotson said.
The government compliance services connect federal contractor employers with community organizations to hire veterans and people with disabilities. MilwaukeeJobs also helps employers offer veteran priority referral by cross-posting their positions to state job banks, she said.
MilwaukeeJobs.com plans to hire 50 to 100 employees over the next two years to accommodate its growth, mostly in sales positions, as well as in marketing, IT and compliance.
The company has a network of job search sites around the country and 5,000 employer clients nationwide, 2,000 of which are in Wisconsin. It’s the largest local employment site in the state.
Milwaukee ranks 90th in best cities for millennials list
Milwaukee ranked as only the 90th best city in the nation for millennials to live in, according to the web site niche.com.
Niche.com ranked 217 cities of 100,000 or more residents. Each city was graded on “key millennial-centered factors,” the web site says, including access to bars, restaurants, affordability and job opportunities. Other factors that were considered included crime and safety, median rent, and the number of residents in a city that are 25 to 34 years old.
Two other Wisconsin cities fared better in the rankings than Milwaukee. Madison ranked 17th best in the nation for millennials and Green Bay ranked 81st.
The top ranked city was Cambridge, Mass. The top ranked Midwest city was Minneapolis. Chicago ranked 24th.
