Overall state job growth remained modest from June of 2012 to June of 2013, in large measure because the state’s manufacturing sector reported a net loss of 119 jobs in that period, according to the data reported Thursday by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and taken from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The 12-month snapshot showed that Wisconsin gained a total of 23,968 private-sector jobs from June to June, but the manufacturing decline prevented the state from having a stronger annual total. Among the 50 states, Wisconsin has the largest percentage of people working in the manufacturing sector, so it’s difficult for the state to have an overall surge when manufacturing employment slumps.
The outlook was brighter in the construction industry, as the state’s housing rebound helped add 5,274 jobs in that sector, a 5.3% rise.
Counterbalancing that was a decline of 8,173 jobs in the government sector — local, state, and federal.
The state also released its preliminary jobs data for October, which had the manufacturing sector performing better. Wisconsin added an estimated 12,400 jobs, including 6,000 in manufacturing, and the unemployment rate declined to 6.6%.
Editor’s note: IB has chosen to de-emphasize the monthly preliminary numbers because they are based on a much smaller sample than the quarterly survey and are subject to often substantial revisions as more data comes in.
