The State of Wisconsin joined much of the rest of the nation in having a decrease in it's unemployment rate in September. Wisconsin's September 2012 rate was reported at 7.3%, down 0.2% from the preceding month of August and the first month with a decrease since April. For the month there were an estimated 223,600 unemployed people in WI, a decrease of about 5,600 workers. In September there was also an increase in the number of employed people by nearly 4,400 and a decrease of 1,200 in the total WI workforce. The net effect of these changes was the 0.2% fall in Wisconsin unemployment rate in September.
With the September decrease, Wisconsin's unemployment rate is currently under what it was one year ago in September 2011 at 7.4%. The rate had fallen from last September all the way to just 6.7% in April before it started it's subsequent rise in May to a 2012 high of 7.5% in August 2012. Compared to a year ago, there are about 4,000 fewer unemployed workers in the State of Wisconsin. There's also around 6,700 more employed workers and just over 2,700 more people in the total workforce compared to September 2011.
Wisconsin's September 2012 unemployment rate remains less than the U.S. average by 0.4%. The U.S. unemployment rate also fell in September to 7.8%.
Several Wisconsin industries saw modest gains in September. Up were the industries of Information, Financial Activities, Professional and Business Services, and Education and Health Services. Wisconsin businesses that were down in September included Construction, Trade Transportation and Utilities, Leisure & Hospitality, Other Services, and Government.
In a year-over-year comparison, the WI business with the largest employment improvements was Information, up 4.3% during the past year. The largest declining industry over the past year was Construction which was down 6.1%.
Many other states in the area experienced lower unemployment rates in September 2012 (41 states had lower rates in the month). The State of Minnesota had it's rate fall from 5.9% in August to 5.8% in September. Iowa saw it's unemployment rate fall 0.3% to only 5.2%. Also lower in September was the State of Illinois from 9.1% to 8.8%. Michigan also enjoyed a lower rate for the month down 0.1% to a region-high 9.3%. Lastly, the State of Indiana's rate was lower by 0.1% to 8.2% in September.
Wisconsin's October results will be published next month. Once they are available we can once again look into the results and see how the state measures up to the past, and to others in the Midwest. Remember that previously published employment results are often adjusted in the future.
If you're unemployed in WI and looking for information please visit the Wisconsin Unemployment Headquarters.
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