Wisconsin ranked 28th in the nation in private sector job growth in the latest “gold standard” job numbers, even as it trailed the United States economy as a whole.
Wisconsin added 32,141 private sector jobs from June 2016 to June 2017 for a growth rate of 1.3 percent. The national economy added jobs at a rate of 1.9 percent over that period.
The numbers come from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, or QCEW, which economists regard as the most accurate job metric. Because they’re so thorough, the numbers take months to produce.
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Among neighboring states, Minnesota (2.0 percent) and Michigan (1.7 percent) added jobs at a faster rate, while Wisconsin outpaced Illinois (1.1 percent) and Iowa (0.3 percent).
The numbers are better than during the same period in 2016, when Wisconsin’ added 28,342 private sector jobs for a growth rate of 1.2 percent.
But they’re slower than the same period in 2015, when Wisconsin added 34,959 private sector jobs for a growth rate of 1.4 percent.
When it came to manufacturing, Wisconsin also added jobs, but at a slower pace.
From June 2016 to June 2017, Wisconsin added 3,771 private manufacturing jobs, for a growth rate of 0.8 percent.
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