Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Releases Non-Farm Job Totals for August 2023

Friday, September 15th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job totals for the month of August 2023, which showed Wisconsin's total non-farm jobs reached another record high at 3,012,400.

This is 32,800 more jobs than a year ago and an increase of 5,700 over the July 2023 nonfarm job total. Preliminary employment estimates for August 2023 showed Wisconsin's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.9%.

The labor force grew by 8,800 and employment increased 300 over the month of August. The state's total labor force participation rate increased to 65.7%. Nationwide for the month of August, the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.8%, 0.9 percentage points above Wisconsin's rate, and the national labor force participation rate of 62.8% was 2.9 percentage points below the state rate.

Wisconsin's unemployment rate was 2.9% in August. The number of unemployed people increased 8,400 over the month and decreased 5,400 over the year to 89,500. The labor force gained 8,800 workers over the month for a total labor force of 3,133,500.

The number of Wisconsinites employed increased 300 in August for a total of 3,044,000 employed. Total nonfarm jobs increased 5,700 in August to a new high of 3,012,400, an annual increase of 32,800.

Private sector jobs increased by 6,600 over the month and 34,300 over the year. Healthcare and social assistance jobs grew 2,600 over the month and 12,900 over the year.

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