Preliminary data show Wisconsin hits second consecutive monthly record for employment

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers today, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), announced Wisconsin achieved new record highs for employment and total nonfarm jobs during June 2024, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The new record for total employment, released today by DWD, breaks the record announced last month for May data.

“Over the last five years, we’ve been making smart, strategic investments to strengthen our state’s workforce, and folks, the numbers are in—our efforts are paying off,” said Gov. Evers. “Whether it’s the newly announced record-high number of Wisconsinites employed, our high labor force participation, or our historically low unemployment, this is amazing news for our state. And in the Year of the Worker, we’re going to keep building on this progress to make sure our workforce is prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy.”

Preliminary employment estimates for June 2024 showed Wisconsin’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 2.9 percent, which is more than a full percentage point below the national unemployment rate of 4.1 percent in June. The state’s labor force participation rate was 65.5 percent in June while the national rate was 62.5 percent.

- Place of Residence Data: Wisconsin’s unemployment rate remained at 2.9 percent in June, 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 4.1 percent. Wisconsin’s labor force decreased 100 over the month and increased 4,000 over the year. The number of people employed increased 600 over the month to a record-high 3,048,600 employed.

- Place of Work Data: Total nonfarm jobs increased 9,400 over the month and increased 30,900 over the year to a record 3,048,000 jobs. Private sector jobs also increased, adding 6,700 over the month and 25,100 over the year to a record-high 2,639,000 private jobs.

“Wisconsin’s economy offers unprecedented opportunities for workers, and we are working tirelessly to support our workforce through apprenticeships, training programs, and other efforts to build skills and remove barriers to employment,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “Connecting the hard-working people of Wisconsin with good jobs drives our economy forward.”

Additional information about the data included in the release is available at Wisconomy.com.

An online version of this release is available here.