Wisconsin Loses 12,800 Jobs in 12 Months as Unemployment Holds at 3.5%
Updated
Updated · WPR · May 22
Wisconsin Loses 12,800 Jobs in 12 Months as Unemployment Holds at 3.5%
1 articles · Updated · WPR · May 22
Wisconsin shed 12,800 non-farm jobs from April 2025 to April 2026, even after adding about 9,000 jobs in April, in a sign the state labor market has cooled.
A 3.5% April unemployment rate matched March and stayed near historic lows, but the state counted 10,700 more unemployed people than a year earlier.
Manufacturing led the decline with 7,800 jobs lost over the year, while construction added 6,500 jobs despite a 400-job drop from March that economists called a possible blip.
State economists tied the slowdown to national headwinds including tariffs, higher prices and Iran-war-driven gas costs, while saying retirements and an aging population still constrain labor supply across industries.
Wisconsin's unemployment is low, yet jobs are vanishing. What is the real story behind the state's confusing economic numbers?
With AI boosting construction but gutting manufacturing, what skills will guarantee a job in Wisconsin's new economy?