Brought to you by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
to keep you up-to-date on efforts to put Wisonsin back to work
:: Issue 19, June 2010 ::

Dear Wisconsin Workforce Partner,

We are very encouraged to see that Wisconsin added 16,400 jobs in April, reflecting the largest one-month jump in 14 years and further illustrating that our state's economic recovery is underway. Every metro area in our state added jobs during April, and during this calendar year, we have added a total of 32,000 jobs.

Slowly but surely, our economy is recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Governor Doyle's number one priority is helping our businesses create jobs and giving our workers the opportunities to get those jobs. Thanks to his leadership, Wisconsin now has some of the most powerful economic development tools in the country. The Governor's efforts have helped Wisconsin companies expand and create thousands of new jobs in communities throughout the state. Even so, we still have a lot of work ahead of us.

In this issue of the 21st Century Wisconsin Workforce Brief, we are featuring examples of the many ways in which together with our partners, DWD is putting Wisconsin back to work. On behalf of Governor Doyle, I would like to extend my appreciation to all of our partners for working together to carry out this mission.

Warm Regards, Roberta Gassman

Sharing Success

Job Center Staff Build Worker Skills & Confidence

Workforce staff throughout the state continue having a big impact in helping put Wisconsin back to work. WorkSmart orientation sessions help jobseekers understand how Job Center and Workforce Investment Act services can help them get back to work.

For example, one Job Center customer in Baraboo credits staff insight with furthering his job search through career advising sessions and his attending a workshop on Budgeting and Time Management; he's now employed full-time at a higher salary than when he lost his job.

Another customer in Dane County reconnected with the Job Center in appreciation for his new resume format, compliments of a staff review, that yielded two interviews and a job offer. "The new version really made a difference and without your guidance, it would not have happened," said the formerly dislocated worker who is now employed with benefits.

Employment Trends

Insights on Unemployment Rates

By DWD Economist Dennis Winters

Recent data show concrete evidence that the economic recovery is underway. The positive economic indicators of the last couple months show solid gains in industrial activity that is now translating to the jobs markets.

Employers are now adding new workers in significant numbers. For example, April jobs numbers for the nation and for Wisconsin were higher. Wisconsin experienced broad-based job gains in every metropolitan statistical area (MSA) with 16,400 jobs added on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Employment data (which is a measure of people as opposed to jobs) was also positive as the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April dropped from 8.8% to 8.5% and the unadjusted unemployment rate fell to 8.2%. >> read more

Activity Spotlight

Retraining programs valuable to elevate skills and foster worker success

While the workforce of tomorrow looks a lot like today's, the skills needed by that workforce are changing dramatically. The non-partisan Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) recently released a report, "Building Bridges in Wisconsin: Connecting Working Adults with College Credentials and Career Advancement," reinforcing the value of upgrading basic skills as well as mastering general workplace skills like communication, teamwork and goal-setting.   >> learn more about DWD employment & training services

 Department website enhancements underway

Frequent visitors to the Department's Web site will notice some changes over the coming months. Our Web visitors have complimented the richness of our Web content, yet requested ways to get to the information they want more directly. So, we are in the process of redesigning the site to make it easier for people to find the information most relevant to them.