Unemployment continues to rise in northwestern Wisconsin

SUPERIOR - Unemployment rates rose in December in every northwestern Wisconsin county, according to figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Workforce Development.

December's rates in every county were higher than November's rates, and higher than those from December 2008.  The news came a day after Minnesota figures showed declining unemployment rates some northeastern Minnesota counties.

Northwestern Wisconsin's one bright spot was in the City of Superior, where the unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a point over the month to 7.6 percent.  However, the rate was 1.9 points higher than one year earlier.

The numbers are not adjusted for normal seasonal variations, so comparisons over the course of a year are most accurate.

Speaking at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Superior on Thursday morning, DWD Secretary Roberta Gassman said it could be worse.  "Those rates and those losses are far lower than the rates and the losses of the other major manufacturing states in the Midwest, whether it's Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, or Michigan," she said.

Gassman visited Superior and Ashland to promote Gov. Jim Doyle's Clean Energy Jobs Act and other initiatives.  Gassman said the Clean Energy Jobs Act would create 15,000 jobs in construction and manufacturing by 2025.

December Unemployment rates, not seasonally adjusted:

Sources: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, www.deed.state.mn.us; Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, www.dwd.state.wi.us