The Wisconsin and U.S. unemployment rates over time. (Via Job Center of Wisconsin)

Amid the complaints on one hand that “no one wants to work” and on the other hand that “no one will hire me,” it’s sometimes helpful to take a step back and look at the actual numbers that encapsulate the labor market. At the moment (which in this case that means May, the latest month for which full figures are available), the employment pictures looks pretty bright in the Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin, and the United States as a whole. Unemployment in the Eau Claire metro area (which consists of Eau Claire and Chippewa counties) stood at 2.4% in May, identical to the rate the previous month and at the same time the previous year, as well as among the lowest points in the past 30 years. Here are some details from the statistics compiled by the state Department of Workforce Development.