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Wisconsin’s unemployment rate remains at 3.9 percent

Enhanced federal unemployment benefits expired Sept. 6

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a closed sign hangs in the window of a barber shop in Burbank, California
In this July 18, 2020, file photo, a closed sign hangs in the window of a barber shop in Burbank, California. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate for September remained unchanged at 3.9 percent for the sixth month in a row.

The state Department of Workforce Development reported the latest totals on Thursday. The report is the first since enhanced federal unemployment benefits expired on Sept. 6.

Republicans had argued that the benefit motivated people not to work, only worsening the state’s worker shortage problem. But Democrats and labor force experts said the shortage, which has been a problem for years, was driven by a variety of factors.

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Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, vetoed a Republican-authored bill that would have ended the benefits this summer. An attempt to override that veto failed in July.

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