May 22, 2012

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Linking minority education with job prospects

April 9, 2012 By

The state Department of Workforce Development Thursday announced the nearly two dozen members of an upcoming task force focusing on minority job improvement in the Milwaukee area. The governor’s panel will be co-chaired by Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and state Representative Elizabeth Coggs.

“Many of the kids in their middle-and-high school years don’t take into account what high school is going to be like,” said panel member Scott Jansen of the civic group Greater Milwaukee Committee.

AUDIO: Jansen on getting youth to think about future (2:12)

DWD Secretary Reggie Newson took interest in Jansen’s progress in linking urban high school students with ideas for future education, job training and positive role models.

DWD says the panel is vital as a UW-Milwaukee study shows that less than half of black males age 16-to-64 in the metro area were employed in 2010.

Filed Under: Economy, Education, News

Jobless rate holds steady in February (AUDIO)

March 22, 2012 By

New job numbers released by the state show unemployment in Wisconsin holding steady, below seven percent The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained steady from January, at 6.9 percent. “Over the past year, our state’s economy has become more stable, following steep job losses,” said John Dipko is with the Department of Workforce Development during a telephone conference call on Thursday. “We have turned the corner and a foundation for job creation has been built.” Dipko noted that the 6.9 percent jobless rate is the lowest since 2008. In addition, “our rate also remains well below the national rate and it has been consistently below the rates of other major midwest manufacturing states” including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

AUDIO: DWD conference call (14:00)

DWD labor market information director Nels Grundvig said the unemployment figures are just one piece of bigger economic picture. “They’re not the only indicators of economic change and activity within the state,” said Grundvig. “In fact, you could argue in some ways that employment numbers are a lagging indicator of what’s happening in the economy.”

Total conform employment increased by 8300 in February – 4000 private sector jobs and 4300 government jobs. For the first two months of the year, Wisconsin has added 17,000 private sector jobs. Governor Scott Walker campaigned on a promise to create 250,000 jobs during his first term

READ: DWD on February job numbers (PDF)

Filed Under: Economy, News

January unemployment rates increase

March 14, 2012 By

Unemployment rates increased across Wisconsin in January – but most cities, counties and metro areas were down from the same time a year ago. Numbers released by the state Department of Workforce Development Wednesday show the 32 largest cities had higher unemployment in January, compared with December, while 30 cities saw a decrease from January of 2011. Beloit’s unemployment rate was the highest in January – 12.2 percent. The Racine County Village of Caledonia had the lowest – 3.5 percent.

All 12 metro areas had lower rates in January 2012 than January 2011 and higher rates than December 2011. Janesville had the highest rate at 9.4 percent and Madison had the lowest at 5.3 percent. The largest year-over-year decrease was in metro Sheboygan, which dropped by 1.6 percent to 7.2 percent from 8.8 percent in January 2011.

All Wisconsin’s 72 counties, except Florence, had higher unemployment rates from December to January – but all but two had lower rates than a year ago. Door County had the highest unemployment at 13.5 percent while Dane County had the lowest at just 4.9 percent. The statewide unemployment rate in January was 6.9 percent.

Filed Under: Economy, News

Unemployment drops but job growth remains sluggish

March 8, 2012 By

Unemployment is down, but overall job growth remains anemic in Wisconsin. The Department of Workforce Development Thursday released preliminary numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which show Wisconsin’s January unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent – seasonally adjusted – from a revised 7.0 percent in December 2011 and 7.7 percent in January 2011. The state also added 15,700 private sector jobs and 12,500 jobs overall. 

However when earlier job losses are factored into the equation, the numbers show the state added just 6,000 the first 13 months of Governor Scott Walker’s term. Walker campaigned on a promise to create 250,000 new jobs in four years. John Dipko with DWD notes Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is below the national average, and, as of December 2011, “below that of other major Midwestern industrial states, including Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.” The state’s unemployment rate is at its lowest since December 2008.

READ: Department of Workforce Development release (PDF) 

Filed Under: Business, Economy, News

Groups take stances on new mining bill

February 24, 2012 By

Groups are coming out for or against an alternative iron mining bill unveiled by a couple of state Senators this week. Democrat Bob Jauch and Republican Dale Schultz have a proposal meant to address concerns of previous mining legislation, including an Assembly approved bill.

Central to the bipartisan bill is a 540-day window to grant a mining permit, and allowance of parties to mutually freeze the timeline, if concerns arise.

The state’s largest business lobby is bashing this provision, saying it will scare away investors. “This allows the permit process to drag on indefinitely, with no clear timeframe for a decision,” said Scott Manley, environmental director of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, a group that favors the Assembly proposal.

During the unveiling of the bill, Jauch had a different perspective. “It provides an end date and timelines with maximum flexibility that represents the real world.”

The Assembly bill has 360-day timeline for permitting with no options to stop-the-clock.

AUDIO: Manley on why Assembly bill’s 360 day window is sufficient (:57)

The Jauch/Schultz plan would require a mining company pay $5 million a year (for the first five years) with 100% of the dollars going to the nearby area for economic development, transportation, infrastructure and a fund designated for catastrophic incidents.

But WMC calls this upfront payment a “surtax” on a company. “This surtax will make it harder to operate a profitable mine in the beginning stages of mining, and will therefore make it harder to justify investing in our state,” said Manley.

However, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau said Gogebic Taconite, a company aggressively pursuing a mine project in Northern Wisconsin, would not pay higher taxes under the bi-partisan plan. The agency looked at the Assembly bill’s deferred taxation, in comparison to the Jauch/Schultz bill.

Conservation groups, Clean Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, are backing the alternative bill.

“Although we oppose changing current law, we applaud Senators Schultz and Jauch for reaching across party lines and trying to balance the interests of developing a mine with the need to protect Wisconsin’s residents and the environment.” said Amber Meyer Smith, government relations director at Clean Wisconsin.

The influence of the alternative bill remains to be seen. Schultz has made it clear he will not vote for the Assembly mining bill, a version favored by Senate Majority Scott Fitzgerald. With a slim 17-16 majority in the chamber, Fitzgerald has said they’re working to “accommodate” some of Schultz’s ideas.

Filed Under: Economy, Environment & Conservation, News
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