Dept. of Workforce Development: BLS Data: Wisconsin May employment numbers released; unemployment ticks down to 3.4%

MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) today announced the following information for Wisconsin’s labor market, reflecting May 2026 preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

  • Employment – There were 3,024,100 people employed in Wisconsin, up 4,000 over the month and up 5,800 over the year.
  • Labor Force – The state’s labor force participation rate remained unchanged at 64.4% which is 2.6 percentage points above the national rate of 61.8%.
  • Nonfarm Jobs – The total nonfarm jobs in the state were 3,039,800, an increase of 8,700 over last month.
  • Unemployment – The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4%, which is 0.9 percentage points below the national unemployment rate of 4.3%

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