MONROE - Seasonal employment changes and students heading back to school could be the driving force behind last month's improvement in the Green County unemployment rate, according to the director of the Green County Development Corporation.
Green County's unemployment rate dropped from 9.2 percent in July to 8.6 percent in August, according to statistics released Wednesday by the state Department of Workforce Development.
Despite the smaller percentage, the actual number of unemployed in the county might not have changed that much, said Anna Schramke, director of the Green County Development Corp.
When students leave the area to go to college or back to school, they no longer are counted in the work force. Therefore, with a smaller pool of workers from which the unemployed can be counted, the percentage is smaller even if none of the unemployed were able to find work.
"The percentage doesn't always tell the full story," she said.
Additionally, some new positions that might have been created could be seasonal, such as at Swiss Colony, Schramke said. In talking with businesses, no one is really hiring except for a few, she said. So, the current improvement in the unemployment rate is routinely seen this time of year, Schramke said.
"June and July are typically a little higher (for unemployment) than in the fall," she said.
Lafayette County also experienced an improvement in its unemployment rate. The county's rate dropped from 7.5 percent in July to 6.8 percent in August, according to Department of Workforce Development statistics.
Both counties are substantially worse off in terms of unemployment rates than this time last year.
Green County's August 2008 rate was 4.1 percent, while Lafayette County's rate sat at 3.8 percent.
Statewide, the unemployment rate in August 2009 was 8.4 percent.
Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman says all metropolitan areas and all but three of the state's 72 counties showed drops in the unemployment rate. She says she is seeing "encouraging signs that the economy is improving."
The cities of Beloit and Racine continue to have the highest unemployment rates in the state.
The Department of Workforce Development said Wednesday that Beloit's jobless rate dropped slightly from last month to 17.4 percent in August, but it still leads the state. Racine is second highest with a 16.2 percent rate, also a slight drop.
- The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Green County's unemployment rate dropped from 9.2 percent in July to 8.6 percent in August, according to statistics released Wednesday by the state Department of Workforce Development.
Despite the smaller percentage, the actual number of unemployed in the county might not have changed that much, said Anna Schramke, director of the Green County Development Corp.
When students leave the area to go to college or back to school, they no longer are counted in the work force. Therefore, with a smaller pool of workers from which the unemployed can be counted, the percentage is smaller even if none of the unemployed were able to find work.
"The percentage doesn't always tell the full story," she said.
Additionally, some new positions that might have been created could be seasonal, such as at Swiss Colony, Schramke said. In talking with businesses, no one is really hiring except for a few, she said. So, the current improvement in the unemployment rate is routinely seen this time of year, Schramke said.
"June and July are typically a little higher (for unemployment) than in the fall," she said.
Lafayette County also experienced an improvement in its unemployment rate. The county's rate dropped from 7.5 percent in July to 6.8 percent in August, according to Department of Workforce Development statistics.
Both counties are substantially worse off in terms of unemployment rates than this time last year.
Green County's August 2008 rate was 4.1 percent, while Lafayette County's rate sat at 3.8 percent.
Statewide, the unemployment rate in August 2009 was 8.4 percent.
Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman says all metropolitan areas and all but three of the state's 72 counties showed drops in the unemployment rate. She says she is seeing "encouraging signs that the economy is improving."
The cities of Beloit and Racine continue to have the highest unemployment rates in the state.
The Department of Workforce Development said Wednesday that Beloit's jobless rate dropped slightly from last month to 17.4 percent in August, but it still leads the state. Racine is second highest with a 16.2 percent rate, also a slight drop.
- The Associated Press contributed to this article.