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Tony Evers, Governor
Caleb Frostman, 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, November 16, 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

Wisconsin Ranks 2nd Nationally in Manufacturing Job Gains Over Year

WI also ranks 1st in nation for manufacturing jobs added over last six months

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's addition of 20,000 manufacturing jobs from October 2017 to October 2018 ranked 2nd nationally and 1st in the Midwest, while the state's unemployment rate of 3 percent ranked in the top 10 nationally. The state's labor force participation rate of 68.4 percent ranked 7th best nationally and 2nd in the Midwest and Wisconsin's addition of 9,200 construction jobs over the year ranked 14th nationally. This follow's yesterday's release showing that Wisconsin added a statistically significant 32,000 private-sector jobs from October 2017 to October 2018.

"Wisconsin's manufacturing sector continues to perform well with 20,000 more people employed in that sector today than a year ago," Department of Workforce Development Secretary Ray Allen said. "2018 is shaping up to be a historic year for the Wisconsin economy and with roughly 100,000 jobs routinely available on JobCenterofWisconsin.com, plenty of opportunities exist for those still looking to break into a rewarding career."

The complete release can be accessed at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.