MONROE — Despite inflation at a 40-year-high, the jobs outlook remains bright across Wisconsin, according to the latest numbers from the federal government.

The news comes from The Department of Workforce Development, which on Nov. 17 released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary employment estimates for the month of October, 2022.

Those numbers showed Wisconsin added 58,800 total nonfarm and 54,600 private-sector jobs from October, 2021 through October, 2022. As a result, the data also showed that Wisconsin had an unemployment rate of 3.3%, and the labor force participation rate was 65.3% compared to a national unemployment rate of 3.7% and a labor force participation rate of 62.2%.

Numbers for Green, Lafayette and Rock counties have not been released. The county-specific labor statistics typically come out a short time after the statewide statistics. But the numbers released Thursday have good news for the entire state. Those numbers include: 

●  Place of Residence Data: Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate declined to 65.3% in October from 65.6% in September, but was still 3.1 percentage points higher than the national rate of 62.2%. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate in October was 3.3 percent, 0.4% below the national rate of 3.7%.

●  Place of Work Data: Over the year, Wisconsin added 58,800 total nonfarm jobs and 54,600 private sector jobs. From September to October 2022, Wisconsin private sector jobs decreased by 1,600 and total nonfarm jobs declined by 2,200.

“Wisconsin continues to show strong year over year job growth and a has an unemployment rate lower than the national rate,” DWD Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek said in a prepared statement released last Thursday. “Wisconsin has invested heavily in its people and the training and placement programs that connect so many to a life-changing career.” 

The full report can be viewed on DWD’s premier source for labor market info, WisConomy.com.