Article Summary –
Essential Facts and Data:
More than 2.9 million Wisconsinites were employed in 2023, up from 2.89 million in 2019 and 2.73 million in 2020, with rural and urban areas seeing growth across various industries and wages rising by an average of 21.1% from 2019 to 2023. Significant job growth was evident in the construction sector, adding over 12,000 jobs between 2019 and 2023, driven by infrastructure investments and new development projects. However, some industries like manufacturing and certain counties reported lower employment rates in 2023 than in 2019, necessitating targeted support and specialized training to address these disparities.
Arguments:
Federal infrastructure investments, including legislation passed under President Joe Biden, have spurred job growth in Wisconsin, particularly in the construction industry due to funded projects such as road repairs, broadband expansion, and renewable energy initiatives. The sustained job growth has positively impacted local economies, attracting more people to Wisconsin and leading to increased spending and infrastructure improvements, especially in areas like Lafayette County. Despite the overall positive trend, disparities remain, with some sectors and counties lagging, highlighting the need for targeted support and partnerships to bridge these gaps.
More Wisconsinites were employed last year than ever before, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum. The state’s unemployment rate was also lower than the national average as communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over 2.9 million people were employed in 2023, up from 2.89 million in 2019 and 2.73 million at the pandemic’s start in 2020.
Both rural and urban areas in Wisconsin saw growth across diverse industries, including transportation, arts, and recreation. Wages increased by an average of 21.1% per employee from 2019 to 2023, outpacing inflation.
Construction was one of the fastest-growing industries, adding over 12,000 jobs between 2019 and 2023, including 6,600 in specialty trade contracting. The surge in construction is partly due to increased housing development.
Recent infrastructure investments from legislation signed by President Joe Biden have also boosted construction jobs, according to Chris Mambu Rasch, executive director of Building Advantage, a group promoting union labor in southeastern Wisconsin.
“Our members are very busy, thanks to legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Rasch said.
Statewide, these investments have funded projects to repair roads, bridges, expand broadband, and replace lead pipes. These efforts support Wisconsin’s “energy transformation” with investments in renewable energy and significant projects like the Microsoft data center and the new We Energies natural gas plant in Oak Creek.
These large-scale projects will require more construction workers. To replace 65,000 lead pipes in Wisconsin in 10 years, crews will need to remove 18 pipes daily.
“That’s an extraordinary amount of work,” Rasch noted.
The construction workforce is expected to grow over the next decade due to long-term infrastructure projects transforming how energy is created and transferred. Rasch sees this as beneficial for the construction industry and future generations of workers.
Rural Lafayette County experienced the fastest workforce growth between 2019 and 2023, with job numbers rising by over 15%. Growth occurred in manufacturing, agriculture, small business, and construction, driven by new development projects, according to Allison Taylor, the county’s economic development and tourism director.
“Our success stems from community collaboration,” Taylor said. Local efforts like the Launch Lafayette County grant and state and federal funding have been crucial.
“Ultimately, it’s the people here who drive the growth,” she added. Increased job numbers have positively impacted local economies, with more local spending and new businesses opening.
Not all sectors and counties have seen the same growth, however. Some industries, like manufacturing, are still struggling, and certain counties had lower employment in 2023 than in 2019.
To address these disparities, Taylor suggested targeting support to struggling areas and sectors, and fostering partnerships for specialized training. Rasch emphasized the need to address Wisconsin’s lagging population to meet future job demands.
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