Wisconsin’s unemployment rate went down slightly in August, but not necessarily because more people found jobs. The state Department of Workforce Development says the seasonally-adjusted statewide jobless rate last month was 6.7 percent, down from 6.8 percent in July.
More Wisconsinites gave up looking for work and dropped out of the labor force, making people with jobs a higher-percentage of the workforce that’s listed. About 6,000 people dropped out in August, leaving 68 percent of state residents in the labor force – two-tenths of a percent less than in July.
Meanwhile, preliminary figures show that 7,300 private sector jobs were created in the Badger State last month. However, those numbers are subject to heavy revisions because just 3.5 percent of employers are surveyed for the monthly updates. For now, officials said 3,300 construction jobs were added in August. Job increases were also reported for professional-and-business services, and leisure-and-hospitality.
