July 2012 WI Unemployment Rate at 7.3%

The WI unemployment rate rose 0.3% in July to a 2012-high of 7.3%. This is the 4th straight month with an increase and is the highest rate in Wisconsin since October 2011. It\’s also the largest monthly increase for the state since a 0.4% increase in April 2009. For the month there are approximately 8,000 more unemployed workers than June 2012. Additionally, there are about 15,000 fewer individuals employed in WI for the month. On a positive note, Wisconsin\’s July unemployment rate is still a full percentage point better than the national average of 8.3%.

Regardless of the July increase, the July 2012 rate is still improved over the 7.6% unemployment rate in July 2011. Compared to one year ago, there are around 9,400 fewer unemployed people in WI. Also, the civilian labor force has increased by around 9,800 and the number of people employed in the state has gone up by just over 19,000 in the past year. The impact of these numbers is the 0.3% decrease in the unemployment rate in WI for the year.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the story is different when we look at the individual unemployment rates for many of Wisconsin\’s cities. Almost all of the metropolitan areas reported on by the DOL showed improvements in their unemployment rates in July. The City of Appleton\’s rate fell for the month from 6.8% to 6.6%. The Eau Claire Area also fell to 6.9% in July from 7.0% in June. Green Bay was also improved, falling from 7.0% to 6.8%, as was the City of Janesville, dropping 0.5% to 8.9%. The City of Madison went from 5.6% to 5.4% (and remained a state-low rate). The major city of Milwaukee fell to 8.2% from 8.4% in June. Racine\’s rate remained static for July at 8.2%.

Another way of reviewing employment numbers for the state is to look at the metrics by business sector. For Wisconsin, Manufacturing, Information, and Other Services also had employment gains for the month of July. The industries of Education & Health Services, Leisure & Hospitality, Government, Construction, and Trade Transportation and Utilities all saw employment decreases for the month.

Wisconsin continues to be about average when compared to other states in the Midwest. State with higher unemployment rates than Wisconsin include Indiana (8.2%), Illinois (8.9%), and Michigan (9.0%). States with a lower rate were Minnesota (5.8%) and Iowa (5.3%). However, all these states saw higher unemployment rates in July.

The August 2012 employment statistics for Wisconsin will be released later this month. We\’ll once again review the information for the State of Wisconsin, it\’s cities, and industries. Please note that previously released employment numbers can be adjusted at a later date.

If you\’re unemployed in the State of Wisconsin and need information, please check out the WI Unemployment Headquarters.

July 2012 WI Unemployment Rate at 7.3%