FRI AM News: Annual Manufacturing Report shows rising confidence in the economy and business climate; WMC urges U.S. Senate to pass Republican funding bill

October 3, 2025

— The Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity’s annual report shows confidence in the state’s economy and business climate has risen.

The report was compiled after 405 interviews and four focus groups across the state.

It shows that confidence in Wisconsin’s economy is rising. This year saw 10% of manufacturing executives who were not confident in the future of companies’ finances while 40% said they were very confident in their companies’ futures. Last year 12% were not confident and 36% were very confident.

This year was the first time since 2021 that more respondents saw Wisconsin’s economy growing rather than slowing down, with 32% seeing growth in the future and 20% predicting a slower economy or recession ahead.

Still, a plurality, 46%, said the state’s economy is mostly flat.

The increase in confidence compared to last year is most prevalent among smaller businesses with fewer than 50 employees and those that make less than $1 million in revenue. But larger companies are still more confident than smaller businesses, with 94% of those that make more than $5 million revenue confident compared to 78% of those that make less than $1 million in revenue.

And while companies are expecting revenue and productivity to increase, uncertain market conditions are slowing capital spending.

But companies are also still most concerned about attracting qualified workers and keeping them. The survey shows 51% of respondents ranked finding and attracting qualified workers a 9 or 10 out of 10 in terms of importance to their company, and 49% saying keeping qualified employees is highly important.

Even so, a smaller share of respondents are considering increasing wages and salaries or offering employee training than last year. The two categories are still highest on the list of what companies are considering changing, but each is down seven and three points respectively.

More companies are considering using artificial intelligence and automating or implementing new technologies than last year too.

Sticking with automation, the gap between executives who believe automation is important and those who believe it’s not important has only grown over the past five years. This year 72% said automation is important to their company’s future, compared to 64% last year and 61% in 2021.

Financing and budget obstacles are the most common barriers to automation, with 35% saying it’s their top concern. But 41% said there are no obstacles.

AI use has also more than tripled over the past three years, growing to 35% this year from 10% in 2023. Still, 40% said they have no plans of implementing AI in the future, but that’s a significant drop from the 72% in 2023 who said they had no plans to implement AI in the future.

See the report here.

— Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce President and CEO Kurt Bauer says the group backs the federal continuing resolution that would extend government funding through November.

The CR, which the GOP-run U.S. House passed 217-212 on Sept. 19, would continue funding the government at current levels through Nov. 21 and end the current government shutdown. The measure failed to clear the 60-vote hurdle in a 55-45 U.S. Senate vote. The Senate also took up its own Democratic-led short term funding bill this week, but it also failed two days in a row to make it out of the chamber.

“Stability and reliability are vitally important for Wisconsin businesses and manufacturers,” Bauer said. “A federal government shutdown introduces unnecessary disruptions in planning and confidence for these businesses.

Bauer also praised the House CR, calling it “fiscally responsible legislation,” and urged the Senate to pass it too.

“Refusal to do so will disrupt Wisconsin businesses and slow momentum in our economy,” he added.

See the release.

— Milwaukee democratic socialist Rep. Ryan Clancy today praised fellow Housing and Real Estate Committee members for bipartisan support of his amendment to a housing bill.

Meanwhile, Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, in an email to fellow lawmakers blasted Assembly Republicans for supporting it.

The committee today voted on AB 455, which would require the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority to create and administer a grant program to provide funding to convert multifamily housing into condominiums.

Clancy’s amendment would allow housing cooperatives to access the grant funding, while an amendment from Rep. Lori Palmeri, D-Oshkosh, would allow tenants to purchase the converted units.

Four Republicans supported the bill as amended, according to Clancy’s office: Reps. Scott Allen, of Waukesha; Jim Piwowarczyk, of Hubertus; Rob Kreibich, of New Richmond; and Dave Armstrong, of Rice Lake.

“There is nothing inherently conservative, liberal, or socialist about housing coops as an alternative to traditional, for-profit single family housing and renting,” Clancy said in a statement. “It’s simply a means to housing security, affordability and equity for people who face spiraling rent costs and profound barriers to home ownership, profound problems in my district and statewide.”

Nass blasted the action.

“Assembly Comrades: In what world would a majority Republican committee agree to spend up to $10 million for the renovations of, legal costs and startup costs for COMMUNES?” he wrote. “The answer is the world of the Wisconsin Assembly Housing Committee in which four Republicans voted to adopt an amendment offered by an avowed communist Representative Ryan Clancy. What the Hell is going on…”

— A group of Democratic lawmakers are circulating the SWIFTIE Act, legislation aimed at stopping ticket scalpers, ticket bots and ensuring fair prices.

Sens. Kelda Roys, of Madison, Jamie Wall, of Green Bay, and Rep. Jill Billings, of La Crosse, authored the LRB-3867/1.

The measure would require event ticket sellers, such as for concerts, to clearly disclose the total price of each ticket, including all fees, taxes and any additional charges other than shipping costs.

It would also bar the sale of speculative tickets, meaning sellers couldn’t offer tickets for an event that might happen in the future, but isn’t certainly going to happen.

The legislation would also set refund requirements that would force ticket sellers to provide a full refund, including all fees and taxes, within 10 days of a refund request.

Refunds would have to be issued if the ticket sold is counterfeit, the event is sold out or canceled, the ticket doesn’t match the description provided before purchase, or the date or time of the event is moved and the event ticker issuer offers a refund to purchasers.

It would also ban anyone from creating a bot to purchase tickets for any single event ticket sale, use multiple IP addresses to purchase more than eight tickets for a single event ticket sale or circumvent electronic queues, among other things.

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