The holiday season should be brighter for many Northwoods households as state numbers reflect near historic low unemployment rates.
The Department of Workforce Development's October numbers for much of the Northwoods are told by labor economist Mitchell Rupp in Wausau.....
"....Forest, 3.6...Langlade at 3.1, Lincoln 2.5, Oneida 2.7, Vilas 2.9 and state of Wisconsin, 2.6.... Iron county's rate is 4.2 percent, and Price county is at 3.0. "
Compared to October 2017, preliminary October 2018 year-over-year unemployment rates declined or remained unchanged in 64 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, with 21 counties setting or tying their all-time record low unemployment rate for October.
The release of October 2018 local rates follows the recent release of federal monthly statewide estimates showing Wisconsin maintained a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3 percent or lower for the ninth consecutive month, setting another record. Some economists say the numbers mask a problem: that while the number of jobs has increased, the wages paid for those jobs is not rising overall.
