Contact: Rose Lynch (608) 266-6753
Adjusted Data
Madison – Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Roberta Gassman today announced that Wisconsin’s preliminary seasonally adjusted January unemployment rate was 4.5 percent; a three-tenths of a percentage point decrease since December 2005. This most recent seasonally adjusted rate is one-half of a point lower than January 2005. The national seasonally adjusted rate was 4.7 percent in January, down from December’s rate of 4.9 percent.
Unadjusted Data
The state’s preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in January was 5.0 percent, representing a monthly increase of six-tenths of a percentage point and one-half of a percentage point lower than January 2005. The state’s labor force, compared to last January, has approximately 35,600 more employed residents and 11,600 fewer unemployed.
January’s preliminary nonfarm wage and salary employment total was 2,791,500 jobs. The month of January, historically, contains the state’s lowest job totals showing employment decreases across many industry sectors. The overall net decline in the state’s monthly number of jobs, was estimated at 80,500 jobs; the decline in the number of jobs between December and January is a typical occurrence at this time of year, due to the tendency for major post-holiday employment reduction, such as in retail trade. The industry sectors with the largest monthly job decreases were retail trade; government; professional and business services; and construction, each decreasing by 10,000 to 20,000 jobs since December. Despite the manufacturing sector’s monthly decrease of 3,700 jobs, industries such as foundries, paper manufacturing and fabricated metal products each posted monthly job gains.
Wisconsin’s annual industry employment estimates continued to show growth in the month of January posting an overall net gain of 33,700 jobs compared to January 2005. Most industry sectors showed employment growth with the largest net gains measured in leisure and hospitality; and educational and health services gaining a combined 23,000 jobs, annually. The state’s two major goods-producing sectors, construction and manufacturing, gained 7,800 and 7,300 jobs, respectively. Construction’s rate of employment growth is about seven percent compared to last January; the fastest growth rate among the state’s major employment sectors.
“The combined growth of more than 15,000 jobs over the annum in the construction and manufacturing sectors, both of which provide thousands of high-wage jobs in the state, is an encouraging indication that Wisconsin’s economy is on the right track and great news for Wisconsin workers,” Secretary Gassman said.
January employment and unemployment figures for individual counties will be available March 8, 2006. This release also is available at HTUhttp://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/UTH.
