MADISON – National and global economic conditions top the list of concerns for state business leaders, according to the latest Wisconsin Employer Survey. Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) – the combined manufacturers’ association and state chamber of commerce – conducts the survey twice a year to gauge top issues facing the state’s business climate.
When asked, “What is the biggest concern facing your business,” 36 percent of respondents said it was the state of the national economy, while 13 percent said it was global economic conditions. Healthcare costs (11 percent) and labor availability (10 percent) also ranked within the responses.
Notably, the percentage of employers having difficulty finding workers dropped to 52 percent, which is the lowest number recorded by WMC in over a decade. Just six months ago, that percentage was 63 percent.
“Uncertainty always has an economic impact,” said Kurt R. Bauer, WMC President & CEO. “Trade, the status of the federal budget reconciliation package, and unnerving geopolitics are unpredictable at best right now. So, it is no surprise that Wisconsin business leaders are concerned about how their business – and the broader economy – will fare in the months and years to come.”
Bauer went on to say that uncertainty is likely the reason why hiring has become easier. “Many businesses are delaying decisions and investments, including hiring, while a slow economy has more people looking for work,” Bauer said. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is 3.3 percent as of May 2025, up from 3.2 percent in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite the uncertainty, 86 percent of survey respondents said their business was profitable in the last six months, and 92 percent predict they will be profitable through the end of 2025. Business leaders also rate the Wisconsin and U.S. economies about the same, with 20 percent calling the Wisconsin economy “strong,” 68 percent calling it “moderate,” and 12 percent saying it is “weak.”
Thirteen percent rate the U.S. economy as “strong,” 67 percent say it is “moderate,” and 19 percent call it “weak.” Thirty-seven percent of respondents say Wisconsin is headed in the “right direction” compared to 63 percent who say the state is headed in the “wrong direction.” Seventy-five percent say the U.S. is headed in the “right direction” versus 25 percent who believe it
is headed in the “wrong direction.”
On the policy front, healthcare affordability topped the list of state-level issues for employers. Thirty-eight percent say addressing healthcare costs is “the one thing the state can do” to help their business, followed by reducing regulations (23 percent) and reducing taxes (21 percent).
“Wisconsin has the fourth highest health care costs in the nation,” said Bauer. “Healthcare has become a major burden for Wisconsin businesses who provide coverage to their employees.” He urged elected officials to heed business leaders’ calls for help by passing legislation on price transparency and enacting a fee schedule for workers’ compensation.
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce represents businesses of all sizes and from every sector of the economy. The Wisconsin Employer Survey provides a snapshot of where Wisconsin’s employers stand on important issues and outlines their economic outlook for both Wisconsin and the United States. For the Summer 2025 edition, WMC surveyed 208 employers that make up a representative sample of its membership and the state’s business community as a whole.
Click here to read the Summer 2025 Report.
