Wisconsin gained 900 jobs in May, but the unemployment rate also inched up. John Dipko with the state Department of Workforce Development, says the increase in the unemployment rate went from 6.7 percent in April to 6.8 percent in May. “There was an increase in our state’s labor force participation rate in May,” Dipko says. “Essentially what that shows is that a greater share of our state’s population is in the labor force, either working or actively seeking employment.”
DWD labor market information director Nels Grundvig elaborated on the jobless rate during a conference call with reporters. “A tenth of a percent of an increase simply means that there were more people out looking for work. The labor force was also larger, and the number of employed didn’t increase to the same degree as the number of people who were out looking for work,” Grundvig says.
The state gained 900 private sector jobs and 1700 government jobs, for an overall increase of 2600 non-farm jobs, according to DWD.
READ: DWD May job numbers (PDF)