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Scott Walker, Governor
Raymond Allen, Secretary

Department of Workforce Development
Secretary's Office
201 E. Washington Avenue
P.O. Box 7946
Madison, WI 53707-7946
Telephone: (608) 266-3131
Fax: (608) 266-1784
Email: sec@dwd.wisconsin.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 19, 2018
CONTACT: DWD Communications, 608-266-2722
On the Web: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/news/
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WIWorkforce
On Twitter: @WIWorkforce

BLS Data: Wisconsin Ranks 2nd Nationally in Manufacturing Jobs Added Over Past Year

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MADISON – The United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today released state-by-state employment and unemployment rankings that show Wisconsin added statistically significant 22,800 manufacturing jobs between September 2017 and September 2018, second highest in the nation. Wisconsin trailed only Texas in the number of manufacturing jobs added.

Department of Workforce Development Secretary Ray Allen released the following statement on today's report:

"The latest data show a continuation of very robust growth in the manufacturing sector in Wisconsin," Secretary Allen said. "We have been adding manufacturing jobs at a higher rate than all Midwest states, our labor force participation rate ranks No. 7 in the nation, and our unemployment rate has been at historically low levels for eight consecutive months. The Wisconsin economy is hitting on all cylinders."

Highlights of today's state-by-state rankings include:

Wisconsin's addition of 22,800 manufacturing jobs from September 2017 to September 2018 ranked 2nd nationally and No. 1 in the Midwest.
Wisconsin's labor force participation rate of 68.6 percent was the 7th best rate in the country.
Wisconsin's historically low unemployment rate of 3 percent in September was tied for 10th lowest rate in the nation. The state's unemployment rate has been at or below 3 percent for eight consecutive months for the first time in history.
Wisconsin ranks 15th nationally and 2nd in the Midwest in number of construction jobs added in the past year.

Other indicators of the state of Wisconsin's economy include:

Initial UI claims ended 2017 at their lowest level in the last 30 years.
Continuing unemployment claims ended 2017 at their lowest level since 1973.
Moody's Investor Service recently upgraded the state's credit rating, noting that "(T)he stable outlook reflects the expectation that the state will experience moderate economic growth and will continue its prudent fiscal management practices."

The data included in today's release can be accessed on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.