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

A mid 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 2024, the latest month for which full figures are available as of late June), the employment pictures looks pretty decent 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 2.8% in May, down from 2.9% the previous month and just a bit higher than 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.