Wisconsin ranked 32nd among all states in private sector job growth according to the latest “gold standard” job numbers released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The growth rate trailed the nation as a whole, where private sector jobs grew nearly twice as fast. It also put Wisconsin near the middle of the pack among all Midwest states.
The numbers come from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, which economists regard as the most accurate job metric. It’s derived from a survey of nearly all employers. Because it’s such a thorough measure, it takes months to produce.
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From September 2015 to September 2016, QCEW numbers showed Wisconsin added 25,562 private sector jobs for a growth rate of about 1 percent. By comparison, the U.S. economy added private sector jobs at a rate of 1.8 percent over the same period.
Among 10 Midwest states, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, South Dakota and Ohio all added private sector jobs at a faster rate than Wisconsin, while Wisconsin outpaced growth in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and North Dakota.
The numbers marked a continuation of a trend for Wisconsin. In the previous three quarterly reports, Wisconsin has ranked 30th, 33rd, 36th in private sector job growth. Wisconsin ranked 36th in the same report a year ago.
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