Waukesha Unemployment Lower Than National Average

While employment and unemployment numbers were released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor show a significantly lower increase in number of jobs as  unemployment hovered at 9.1 percent in May, the City of Waukesha and Waukesha County are facing different numbers.

However, the most recent Wisconsin unemployment numbers are from April, where Waukesha faced 8.4 percent unemployment. Waukesha was at 9.2 percent unemployment in March and 10.4 percent in April 2010.

“Waukesha has long been committed to developing a diverse industrial and commercial employment base in the city,” Community Development Director Steve Crandell said in an e-mail to Waukesha Patch. “Since Waukesha's economy does not rely heavily on any single employer or industry, the city has seen lower unemployment rates than other parts of the country. Economic and employment base diversity has allowed Waukesha to weather the recession better than some other communities of our size.”

Waukesha City Administrator Lori Luther credit expansions of businesses in the community such as Waukesha Electric Systems and Weldall Manufacturing as contributing factors in the city's lowered unemployment rate.

Waukesha Electric System is in the middle of a $70 million expansion. The company received a $12 million tax credit from the U.S. Department of Energy and $9 million is tax incremental financing from the city of Waukesha to expand the facility on Prairie Avenue by 140,00 square feet to bring the manufacturing facility to 369,000 square feet, according to a news release.

Weldall Manufacturing also entered into a tax incremental financing agreement with the city of Waukesha in 2010. The expansion includes $975,000 in funding from the city that will be paid back through the property value, which is to increase by $6.5 million. Weldall Manufacturing, 2001 S. Prairie Ave., is expanding by 76,000 square feet and will add 75 jobs.

"One of the reasons is because we have major businesses that are expanding," Luther said. "The city has partnered (with the businesses) to help provide these opportunities."

Waukesha Mayor Jeff Scrima said the city is aggressively reaching out to the business and investment communities. He plans to announce in a few weeks that another employer will be located in Waukesha. Scrima is waiting before providing additional details about that employer.

“Waukesha has always had diverse employment opportunities, which tends help us in economic downturns,” Scrima said. “Our citizens are still able to find other employment.”

Metro Milwaukee added 2,700 jobs in April, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, continuing four months of job growth.

La Crosse, Madison, Racine, Sheboygan and Wausau also added jobs, DWD said in a press release, while Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay and Oshkosh-Neenah experienced decreases in April.

The state's 12 metro areas saw decreases in their unemployment rates. And for the state's municipalities with at least 25,000 residents, all saw drops in unemployment rates. Caledonia had the lowest rate in the state at 3.5 percent.

The statistics show that Waukesha County is 11th in the county in terms of the lowest unemployment rates. Waukesha County had a 6.4 percent unemployment rate in April, compared to 7.1 percent in March and 7.9 percent in April 2010.

“Our employers are beginning to snap back from the recession,” said Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. “I am glad to hear they are snapping back faster than some of the other parts of the country.”

The worst county in Wisconsin in terms of unemployment rate is Menomonie County, which is at 16.8 percent in April, an increase from 13.4 percent in March and 15.7 percent in April 2010.

“It is great news for Waukesha County,” Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas said. “Obviously we want to see unemployment go down and jobs increase all over the state and the nation, but I think Waukesha County is a place where people want to be. I think we are finding more and more that our quality of life is very stable and the amenities that we have got here are plentiful.”

Vrakas noted that Waukesha County is one of the few counties to have a Triple-A bond rating in the state. It also is one of eight counties in the state without a county sales tax and its county government spends the lowest per capita compared to counties throughout Wisconsin, Vrakas said.

“We have this standard,” Vrakas said. “That means that when you are a leading county, you have only one direction you can go and that is down. That makes us all work that much harder to be the very best we can. We have always got room to improve, so we are working on things every day."

Janine Anderson, associate regional editor for Patch, contributed to this report.