Wisconsin Adds 72,100 Private-Sector Jobs in May

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) today released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary employment and unemployment estimates for the month of May 2020.

The data shows that Wisconsin added 74,900 total non-farm and 72,100 private-sector jobs in the month of May. Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate in May was 66.6 percent, and the state’s unemployment rate fell to 12.0 percent, down from April’s revised rate of 13.6 percent.

“May’s job numbers show a strong increase in jobs, employment, and an unemployment rate that is more than a full percentage point lower than the national rate,” DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman said. “As Wisconsin’s economy continues to reopen, DWD stands ready to assist workers as they transition back to their former employer, or to new employment.”