Fresh Profile: Wisconsin Jobs

Published on 2008-08-27

Although Wisconsin adopted "Forward" as its motto back in 1851, the sentiment is perhaps a more apt description of its melange of economic drivers today than it was in the 19th century. Tourism, healthcare, and education have joined historical forces such as farming, manufacturing, and mining in the rally for Wisconsin's economic prosperity. However, farming and manufacturing are not only vestiges of former agricultural grandeur. Wisconsin remains second in the nation (behind California) in the production of dairy products and first in cheese; Wisconsinites are called - both fondly and pejoratively - "Cheeseheads." Other top crops include sweet corn, cranberries, oats, potatoes, and carrots.

Given Wisconsin's agricultural prowess, much of its manufacturing is related to food processing. Big food brands Kraft Foods (encompassing Oscar Mayer and Tombstone pizza, among others) and Johnsonville Sausage create Wisconsin jobs. Beer brewing also generates Milwaukee jobs. The Miller Brewing Company is currently Milwaukee's biggest brewer, although Pabst, Schlitz, and Blatz at one time dominated Milwaukee's beer brewing scene as well.

Other manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin revolve around transportation and machinery. The Kohler Company, Briggs & Stratton, Miller Electric, and Harley-Davidson are all providers of Wisconsin careers.

Many paper mills along the Fox River also offer manufacturing jobs in the production of paper products. More recently, manufacturing efforts have swung toward healthcare devices and software. Epic Systems Corporation, GE Healthcare, and TomoTherapy have all helped create momentum for these new manufacturing sectors.

Diversity in Wisconsin's manufacturing industry and a high number of exports have kept Wisconsin manufacturing careers steady, gaining 2,260 jobs between 2004 and 2007 while nationwide manufacturing employment dropped by 114,670 jobs during that time. Between 2007 and 2010, manufacturing employment should decline 0.6%, says the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR), but at a lower rate than the nation as a whole. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DOWD) is more optimistic about the state of manufacturing, however; it reported that in July 2008 manufacturing and construction jobs gained by 700 and 1,600 jobs, respectively.

While metal mines no longer operate in the state, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) estimates that some 2,500 to 3,000 nonmetallic mine sites supply mining engineering jobs in state. The nonmetallic mines provide sand, aggregate, gravel, crushed stone, peat, dimension stone, volcanic andesite, and other materials.

The University of Wisconsin (UW) school system, comprised of 26 campuses across the state, is Wisconsin's second largest employer, according to the Wisconsin Workforce and Labor Market Information Systems. Many Madison, Wisconsin jobs stem from the UW, and in turn the university benefits from the capital city's workforce, which boasts more Ph.D.s per capita than any other U.S. city. Education jobs in Milwaukee also get a boost from the large district under the jurisdiction of Milwaukee Public Schools.

Healthcare services are a growing sector of Wisconsin's economy. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that among Wisconsin's average quarterly employment in 2006-2007, ambulatory healthcare services and hospitals combined created 207,206 healthcare jobs. In Northwest Wisconsin alone, 11% of all jobs are tied to the healthcare industry, estimates the Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. Moreover, reporting from Appleton's Post-Crescent pegs hospital jobs to show a 22% (10,200 jobs) increase by 2012, up from 8,370 in 2002. Top healthcare employers include Marshfield Clinic, Gundersen Lutheran, the Department of Health & Family, Aurora Health Care, and Aurora Medical.

Wisconsin's wealth of natural and manmade tourist attractions have created a strong tourism industry as well. The Wisconsin Dells, the Apostle Islands, Nicolet National Forest, the Harley Davidson Museum, Summerfest, and the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh all attract out-of-state visitors and create jobs in hospitality. Additionally, hunting and fishing are popular among both natives and tourists; so much so that 2,101,984 hunting and fishing licenses were sold from 2006 to 2007, according to the DNR.

The DOR reports that continued growth in education, health and leisure, and hospitality should last through the next few years; this is good news since 2006 data places these industries, along with professional and business services, as providing 38% of the state's total private employment opportunities. While the DOWD recently announced that the state's unemployment rate was at 4.8% in July 2008, down 0.1% from June 2008, it remains lower than the national unemployment rate of 6.0%.

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