While a report released Friday shows a slight decrease in nationwide unemployment from December to January, the most recent job data for Wisconsin shows the state’s unemployment level remains below the national average.
The most recent numbers for Wisconsin show a 7.5 percent unemployment rate in December, a decline of 0.1 percent from November.
According to a statement from Secretary Manny Perez, head of the Department of Workforce Development, about 1,900 private sector jobs were lost in December, but the number shrunk to 1,200 after adjustments were made to reflect average winter job loss.
Perez welcomed the figures and pointed to Gov. Scott Walker’s new job creation policies as a possible explanation.
“Today’s national numbers further demonstrate the correct approach that Gov. Walker is taking to advance policies that allow for private-sector job creation in our state, that Wisconsin is on the right track and that Wisconsin needs to support these policies to accelerate job creation,” he said in a statement.
However, state Democrats slammed Walker’s job creation policies, taking aim in particular at his cancellation of renewable energy projects.
Graeme Zielinski, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said Walker’s initiatives could have economic consequences for Wisconsin.
“Governor Walker’s policy of canceling wind farms and other renewable energy plants shows a hostility towards the modern economy,” Zielinski said.
He also attributed the improvement in the unemployment rate to President Barack Obama’s stimulus policies.
Democratic Rep. Brett Hulsey claimed the governor’s decision to ax the planned biomass plant on Charter Street, located in Hulsey’s Madison district, would cost the state 800 to 1,000 jobs. Hulsey said the cancellation undercuts Walker’s job creation rhetoric.
Nationwide unemployment for January stands at 9 percent, about a half percent decrease from December, according to the latest figures released Friday from the U.S. Department of Labor.
After figuring in the November data, the national unemployment rate has declined by 0.8 percent in the last two months. About 50,000 private sector jobs were added in December.
The national figures also show a 49,000 job increase in the manufacturing sector and 28,000 increase in the retail trade sector.
Wisconsin unemployment statistics for January will become available on March 9.
