[Madison, Wisc…] Wisconsin’s construction unemployment rate continues to improve. From August 2015 to August 2016, the state’s rate dropped from 6.8 percent to 4.9 percent, according to data released on Thursday by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
The Badger State’s improvement was the 4th best in the country, and the construction unemployment rate is now better than the national average of 5.1 percent.
“This shows the construction industry is only getting stronger in Wisconsin,” said Nick Novak, spokesman for ABC of Wisconsin. “As the unemployment rate continues to get lower, however, it only amplifies the need for more skilled workers to go into the trades.”
Across the country, 48 states saw their construction unemployment rate improve.
“August 2016 continues the unbroken monthly streak of year-over-year rate declines in the construction unemployment rate that began in October 2010,” said Bernard M. Markstein, Ph.D., president and chief economist of Markstein Advisors, who conducted the analysis for ABC. “For the fourth month in a row, the estimated construction unemployment rates for all the states were below 10 percent. The last time that happened was from June to September 2002.”
Click here for more analysis from ABC National.
