BLS Data: Wisconsin Achieves Year-over-Year Growth in Labor Force, Employment, Jobs

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MADISON – The Department of Workforce Development today released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary job totals for March 2024, which showed year-over-year growth in Wisconsin's labor force, employment, and jobs totals.

Over the year, Wisconsin's labor force increased 23,800 and the number of people employed grew by almost 13,000. Meanwhile, total nonfarm jobs remain near the record high set in February 2024, at 3,034,400.

Preliminary employment estimates for March 2024 also showed Wisconsin's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.0%, 0.8 percentage points below the national rate. Wisconsin's labor force participation rate for March 2024 was 65.6%, 2.9 percentage points higher than the national labor force participation rate of 62.7%.

Place of Residence Data: Wisconsin's March 2024 unemployment rate held steady at 3.0%. The labor force decreased 3,500 over the month, to 3,140,000. The number of people employed decreased 800 over the month, to 3,047,100. The number of unemployed people decreased 2,600 over the month, to 93,000.

Place of Work Data: Total nonfarm jobs decreased 1,700 over the month and increased 22,700 over the year, to 3,034,400 in March. Private sector jobs decreased 2,900 over the month and increased 14,300 over the year to 2,623,400. Construction jobs grew by 3,100 jobs over the month, to a record high 143,900 jobs.

The data included in today's release can be accessed at Wisconomy.com.

View Wisconsin Labor Force Summary

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Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development efficiently delivers effective and inclusive services to meet Wisconsin's diverse workforce needs now and for the future. The department advocates for and invests in the protection and economic advancement of all Wisconsin workers, employers, and job seekers through six divisions – Employment and Training, Vocational Rehabilitation, Unemployment Insurance, Equal Rights, Worker's Compensation, and Administrative Services. To keep up with DWD announcements and information, sign up for news releases and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.