MADISON – The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) today released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary employment estimates for the month of December 2021. The data shows that Wisconsin’s unemployment rate declined to a record low of 2.8% in December, down from 3.0% in November. The data also showed that the total number of people in Wisconsin who are counted as unemployed declined to a record low of 86,200.

Place of Residence Data: Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate in December was 66.4%, 4.5 percentage points higher than the national rate of 61.9%. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate in December was 2.8%, a record low for the data series.
Place of Work Data: Wisconsin total nonfarm jobs increased from November 2021 to December 2021 by 6,300, while private-sector jobs increased by 5,300 over the same time period. The monthly increase in jobs was driven by the state’s manufacturing sector which added 4,800 jobs.
“In December, Wisconsin reached a record low for both the number of unemployed workers and our unemployment rate, which is great news for our state,” Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek said. “For those who are still looking for work, the Workforce Innovation Grant Program, the Worker Advancement Initiative, and the Worker Connection Program, as well as traditional DWD job seeker services provide great opportunities to find a job and a well-paying career in 2022.”

With the greater competition for talent, DWD encourages employers to connect with the agency’s local business services representatives. The business services representatives can help employers find qualified job applicants with diverse abilities, build strategies to maintain a competitive advantage by retaining existing workers, and connect to workforce planning resources and labor market information.

View Wisconsin Labor Force summary: https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/unemployment/2022/220120-december-state.pdf

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