MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), recently announced Wisconsin achieved a new record high for employment during October 2024, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The new record for total employment, released by DWD, breaks the record announced last month for September data and marks the sixth consecutive monthly record for state employment, highlighting the unprecedented number of workers participating in Wisconsin’s economy.

“With our continued efforts during the Year of the Worker to bolster high-demand industries, expand apprenticeship opportunities, and address our state’s generational workforce shortages, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing our sixth consecutive month of record-high employment here in Wisconsin,” said Gov. Evers. “We must continue making the smart, strategic, and targeted investments we have been to support our economy and our workforce if we want to keep this positive momentum going, and I look forward to building upon this work in our next biennial budget.”

“Our work is to connect workers with good jobs and break down the barriers to employment,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “We are building an economy in Wisconsin that more people are a part of by supporting veterans, training and accommodating people with disabilities, investing in daycare and transportation options, and offering job placement help and training to anyone who wants career advancement.”

Preliminary employment estimates for October 2024 showed Wisconsin’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 2.9 percent, which is 1.2 percentage points below the national unemployment rate of 4.1 percent. In addition, the state’s labor force participation rate increased to 65.7 percent in October while the national rate ticked down to 62.6 percent. 

●  Place of Residence Data: Wisconsin’s unemployment rate was 2.9 percent in October, 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 4.1 percent. Wisconsin’s labor force increased by 8,400 over the month and 7,300 over the year. The number of people employed increased by 8,500 over the month and 23,900 over the year to a record-high 3,068,000 employed.

●  Place of Work Data: Total nonfarm jobs increased by 1,400 over the month and 27,400 over the year to 3,043,800 jobs.

A full list of seasonally adjusted employment and unemployment statistics for October 2024 is available here.

A full list of not seasonally adjusted employment and unemployment statistics for October 2024 is available here.

Additional information about the data included in the release is available at Wisconomy.com.