— Private sector employment in Wisconsin increased 5.3 percent over the 12-month period ending June 2021, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Based on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector employment in Wisconsin reached 2,470,486 in the second quarter of this year, with an increase of 124,034 jobs since the second quarter of 2020.
But the state’s year-over-year job growth lagged behind several other Midwest states, as Michigan saw an increase of 9.3 percent in private sector employment over the same period. Illinois and Minnesota had increases of 6.8 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively.
Wisconsin beat out Ohio, which saw 4.8 percent private sector job growth, and Iowa, which logged an increase of 4.4 percent.
Just three of Wisconsin’s 72 counties saw a year-over-year decline in private sector employment: Florence, with a decrease of 1.8 percent; Jackson, 1.6 percent; and Richland, 0.5 percent.
Menominee County, which has the lowest private sector employment total of any Wisconsin county with 167 jobs, saw the largest increase by percentage with a gain of 26.5 percent. Other than that, employment increases ranged from 12.5 percent in Bayfield County to 0.3 percent in Adams County.
See the latest BLS data here: https://data.bls.gov/maps/cew/US
— The latest episode of “WisBusiness.com: The Show” spotlights Marc LaPierre of Clock’d, one of the top presenters in the Wisconsin Technology Council’s recent Elevator Pitch Olympics event.
Clock’d offers an all-in-one hiring platform for the hospitality industry. Investors who served as judges ranked Clock’d as the first-place winner during the EPO competition at the Wisconsin Technology Council’s Early Stage Symposium in November.
Watch the show here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2021/wisbusiness-the-show-with-marc-lapierre-of-clockd/
— The Wisconsin Bankers Association says the latest federal figures show “positive signs of rebound” for both members and customers.
Figures from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for the third quarter of this year show deposits at Wisconsin banks increased by 10.42 percent from the third quarter of 2020. Over the same period, net loans and leases increased by 0.62 percent.
“A slight increase seen quarter over quarter continues a positive, albeit slow upward trend in lending, led primarily by real estate lending,” said Rose Oswald Poels, president and CEO of the WBA.
The release highlights a “notable downward trend” of 32.76 percent in noncurrent loans and leases, meaning more customers are paying off their loans.
But commercial and industrial loans have decreased by 23.35 percent between Q3 2020 and Q3 2021, as businesses were borrowing less during that time frame.
“While some businesses have fewer borrowing needs due to government stimulus funding and the Paycheck Protection Program, other business owners are more hesitant to borrow due to supply chain issues and worker shortages that are hindering their abilities to grow,” Oswald Poels said in the release.
See more on the FDIC numbers:
— Fetch Rewards, a Madison-based company with a rewards app for shoppers, has announced annualized gross merchandise value for products on the platform has reached $100 billion.
The startup is reporting 208 percent year-over-year growth in this metric after recently expanding the types of products for which users can claim rewards. Early last year, the app was accepting receipts from grocery food retailers including convenience, drug and liquor stores.
“When we dug into the types of receipts shoppers were trying to submit to Fetch, we were astounded at the growing velocity within other retail categories,” said Wes Schroll, company founder and CEO. “So we opened it up so our users could submit any receipt. We’re now seeing substantial growth in all retail categories and expect that to become a much larger percent of our business and value to our shoppers.”
Since the Fetch Rewards app launched in 2017, it has been downloaded 26 million times and currently has over 11 million active users. Brands and retailers can offer incentives through the app, and customers are submitting 25 receipts per month on average, according to a release.
Earlier this year, the company landed a $201 million investment, driving the company’s total valuation to $1 billion. Fetch Rewards is also looking to expand internationally in 2022.
Listen to an earlier WisBusiness.com podcast with Schroll: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2018/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-wes-schroll-founder-and-ceo-of-fetch-rewards/
— More than 1 million additional or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin, making up more than one-eighth of all vaccine doses given in the state.
As of Tuesday, a total of 1,036,814 additional or booster doses had been administered, compared to nearly 7.7 million total vaccine doses overall. That equals about 32 percent of the nearly 3.3 million Wisconsin residents who are fully vaccinated.
By comparison, over 41 million booster doses have been administered on the national level, making up nearly 21 percent of the more than 197 million people who are fully vaccinated.
Millions of booster COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the Midwest, including about 1.9 million in Illinois, 1.5 million in Michigan, 1.1 million in Minnesota and 800,000 in Indiana.
Meanwhile, 59 percent of Wisconsin’s population has received at least one vaccine dose, and 56.1 percent has completed the vaccine series. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70.2 percent of the U.S. population has gotten at least one dose and 59.4 percent is fully vaccinated.
See the latest state vaccination data: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/vaccine-data.htm
— A long-term study focused on Alzheimer’s disease prevention recently reached a 20-year milestone since the effort first began in Madison.
According to a release from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention study is now the world’s largest family history study of Alzheimer’s disease.
Since enrolling its first participant in November 2001, the study has grown to include more than 1,700 individuals, 70 percent of whom have a family history of Alzheimer’s. Scientists have spent two decades tracking various biological and behavioral factors that may play a role in the disease.
These researchers conduct memory testing, blood draws and interviews every two years, while some of the participants also undergo brain imaging and spinal fluid tests. By gathering data on these factors, as well as lifestyle, genetic analysis, metabolism and biomarkers associated with the disease, they have identified a number of insights about disease progression.
The study has yielded results including new ways to detect mental changes linked to the disease, how to slow related cognitive decline and more. By leveraging techniques like advanced imaging and biochemical analysis that weren’t available 20 years ago, researchers aim to develop blood-based biomarker screening to catch the disease earlier.
See more on the study: https://www.wispolitics.com/2021/uw-madison-worlds-largest-family-history-study-of-alzheimers-disease-marks-20th-anniversary/
#TOP STORIES#
# People living with PFAS contamination say state standards are ‘long overdue’ to protect public health
# UW System receives funding for bachelor’s degree program in state prisons
# MMAC says participating employers hitting goals for adding minority employees, managers
#TOPICS#
# ADVERTISING
– Green Bay makes first step toward rebranding city logo, projected to launch in January 2023
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Wisconsin’s all milk price rose to $19.60 in October
– Other commodity prices mixed during October
# CONSTRUCTION
– EUA, Performa to merge early next year
– Eppstein Uhen Architects to acquire Green Bay-area firm
# ECONOMY
– Survey shows disparity among white, Black and Hispanic leaders’ outlook on the city and their companies
# ENTERTAINMENT
– Potawatomi CEO hints at $150 million investment
# ENVIRONMENT
– Less deer harvested during 2021 gun season
# HEALTH CARE
– Flu season starts with more cases in 1 week than all of last year in Wisconsin
– City of Milwaukee advises masks indoors, officials discuss but not triggering mandate
– Texas-based micro-hospital operator plans new location on Milwaukee’s south side
– ‘A need in our community’: PHMDC seeing high demand for COVID-19 booster shots
# INSURANCE
– Zywave continues insurance technology acquisition spree with purchase of ClarionDoor
# MANUFACTURING
– Generac closes on ecobee acquisition
# NONPROFIT
– ‘We have room’: Five shelters unite to address homelessness as unsheltered needs rise
# POLITICS
– A 172-year-old abortion law could go back into effect in Wisconsin
# RETAIL
– First Milwaukee-area Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurant will open next year in Menomonee Falls
– Kwik Trip to require payment at the pump or prepayment inside at all stores
# TECHNOLOGY
– EatStreet launches virtual market, ghost kitchens on State Street
# TRANSPORTATION
– Highway 20 reconstruction ‘substantially complete’ within City of Racine
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Urban League of Greater Madison: WEDC plans to locate its offices in Black Business Hub
