Three in a row: Wisconsin unemployment hits record low again

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Unemployment in Wisconsin ticked down again, the state’s labor department reported in its latest jobs report.

After breaking the record for lowest recorded unemployment in Wisconsin history in each of the past two months, another tenth-point drop in April completes the hat trick.

On Thursday, the Department of Workforce Development put the state’s preliminary unemployment rate at 2.4 percent. Its report noted Wisconsin added 3,800 jobs over the month and points out the latest number is nearly 10,000 jobs higher than the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Talk about a Badger Bounce Back: We’ve added 51,500 jobs over the past year to reach a new record high in total jobs, once again surpassing the pre-COVID-19 peak of January 2020,” DWD Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek wrote in her agency’s statement.

Pechacek pointed out the state has added more than 50,000 jobs in the past 12 months. The additional 3,800 jobs added in April pushed the total number overall in the state past the three million mark, DWD reported.

Wisconsin unemployment number now sits a full percentage point under the national rate, while the labor force participation rate, which also nudged higher last month, sits more than two points higher (64.8% to 62.6%).

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