Wisconsin unemployment stays at record level for May

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate remained at a record-low for a second straight month in May.

The state Department of Workforce Development released data Thursday that shows the unemployment rate held at 2.8 percent last month.

The labor force participation rate increased to 68.9 percent in May, up from 68.8 percent in April. DWD estimated 3,090,200 people were employed in May while 89,200 were unemployed.

The state added 600 government jobs between May and April but lost 5,300 private sector jobs overall.

Gov. Scott Walker, who faces re-election in November, has been touting the unemployment rate as a sign that his policies enacted over the past seven-plus years are working.

Democrats say the state is riding a national economic wave and the state lags the national average in job creation.