On this blog, I intermittently post on Wisconsin macro aggregates. For micro assessments of Wisconsin’s labor markets and household welfare, I turn to High Road Strategy Center’s reports. From the 2024 report, here are four key graphs.
From the document:
Job Market Hits Record High in June 2024: Wisconsin Added More Than 25,000 in the Year
In June 2024, the state set a new record high for jobs: 3,048,000. From July 2023- July 2024,
Wisconsin added 25,700 jobs.
Wages Up: Historic High for Wisconsin’s One-Year Median Wage Increase
From 2022-23, the inflation adjusted median hourly wage increased by 97 cents. Since 1979
(the first year reliable data for state wages is available), the inflation adjusted median wage has increased by this much only twice: in 2019 and 2023.
Equalizing Wage Growth: Lower-Wage Workers Make Stronger Gains
In a reversal of trends for much of the last forty years, lower wage workers in Wisconsin
experienced stronger wage growth than higher wage workers. The gap has been closing in the
recovery from the pandemic shutdowns and has continued again this year.
Wisconsin Union Decline Worst in Region, Despite Unions’ Growing Popularity
The public perception of unions improved dramatically over 2011-23, but even so, Wisconsin’s
unionization rate dropped by one-third (from 14 to 8.4 percent) over the same period. This
decline outpaces the rate of deunionization of all neighboring states.
Wisconsin’s Working Women: Gender Pay Disparity Leaves Women Behind
In 2023, the women’s median wage was $22.03 while men’s median was $25.09. At the median, women earn 88 cents for every dollar a man earns. This is Wisconsin’s gender wage gap. It is much smaller than in 1979 but remains significant, especially for Black and Hispanic women in the state.
For more discussion, see Associate Director Laura Dresser on WIsconsin PBS (8/30).
Latest on Wisconsin macro aggregates, see here. For more on the economy vs. “vibecession”, see my colleague J. Michael Collins on WIsconsin PBS (8/30).
I’m wondering because of the economic success and economic growth in WI, if then it makes it less tempting or less necessary to join a union. This is one thing business people often seemingly forget as they are so consumed with costs. Maybe if you paid workers a living wage, much less their true economic value, they wouldn’t feel a compulsion to join a labor union. Just maybe??
Wild thinking, aye?? I’d say “weird” thinking but donald trump and JD Vance have raised the bar on weird.
Moses – I think the decline in labor unions in Wisconsin is a direct result of Scott Walker/WIGOP labor busting Act 10 – However – there is hope “The judge ruled that Act 10 violates the equal protection guarantee in the state’s constitution. Act 10 is former Gov. Scott Walker’s landmark legislation, which limits collective bargaining for public workers.” – “Act 10 could be wiped out completely if the ruling is allowed to stand.” – it is sure to go the Wisconsin Supreme Court – but with a now progressive majority on WI Supreme Court – the ruling may be allowed to stand – https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2024/07/05/act-10-what-next
So, 13 years later we may finally get rid or Walker/anti-progressive WIGOP most perfidious legislation.
Happy Labor Day – Wisconsin!
Also – in regards to a “living wage” – the WIGOP would rather than paying a decent wage – we should have 14-15 year old children working in our numerous taverns – fortunately Evers vetoed that bill https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/evers-vetoes-republican-bill-that-would-have-allowed-more-wisconsin-teens-to-work-without-parental-consent/
Nice performance regarding overall real wage growth and lowering overall inequality. Now if your state could get more equality across racial lines.
As a Wisconsinite – very discouraging – I know someone that is involved in working on closing the racial inequalities gap in education in Wisconsin – which is one of the root causes – IMO https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/the-effects-of-racial-inequalities-on-education-in-wisconsin/
It doesn’t help that the WIGOP seeks to limit spending on DEI programs – which BTW – also impacts rural and second-career/nontraditional students trying to get a college degree – https://www.wpr.org/news/republicans-release-32m-uw-deal-limiting-dei-programs
Trump celebrates Labor Day with another feeble attempt to smear Harris and showing the Orange Moron does not get writing resumes:
‘She never worked there’: Trump claims Kamala Harris ‘lied about working at McDonalds’
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/she-never-worked-there-trump-claims-kamala-harris-lied-about-working-at-mcdonalds/ar-AA1pMmAy?ocid=BingNewsSerp
‘Donald Trump on Saturday posted in all-caps that his political opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, “NEVER WORKED” at McDonald’s, as Harris claims….Raw Story recently reported on a right-wing editor who was ridiculed for a purported investigation into Harris’ past employment at McDonald’s, with the report noting that her resume didn’t include the job. Numerous people pointed out that it would be unlikely for anyone to include a job like that on a resume for the jobs she sought.’
I worked at McDonald’s as a kid but I never put that on my resume. Oh wait – the Orange Fatso has eaten an enormous number of Big Macs in his life and I bet he never saw Harris making one for him.
Padding your professional resume with working at McDonalds would be weird – but maybe those guys would do such a thing cause they are weird.
Orange fatso probably worked hard at eating all those burgers so maybe he could add it to his.