Construction jobs rose nearly 4% compared to last year and wages had their biggest year-over-year increase in 40 years, analysts for the Associated General Contractors of America said.
Several Wisconsin counties saw slight growth in new construction over the last year while a dozen saw less than 1% growth, according to a state revenue department report. Meanwhile, construction was among employment sectors which exceeded 2019 levels, according to a separate report.
The cost of construction in Milwaukee fell slightly in the second quarter of 2019, but remains above historic averages, as year-over-year construction employment growth has softened locally, according to a market analysis from Mortenson Construction.
Wisconsin's unemployment insurance fund has beefed up its reserves, boasting the largest rainy day fund in nearly two decades after falling deeply into debt during the Great Recession.
Forty-five states and the District of Columbia — Wisconsin included — added construction jobs between August 2017 and August 2018, while 33 states added construction jobs between July and August, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Construction unemployment fell in Wisconsin and every other state in the country in July for the second time this year, according to a trade group’s analysis, showing that the industry remains in the grips of a labor shortage.
Gov. Scott Walker, who famously promised in 2010 to create 250,000 jobs but still hasn't done it, has made a new pledge for his latest campaign: give Wisconsin the country's highest rate in the country for high-school graduations.
A Rust Belt state that built a manufacturing legacy through assembly-line jobs will have to quickly transition to a more highly skilled workforce now that Foxconn has selected Wisconsin as the site of its coveted U.S. electronics plant.