Northwoods counties continue to follow the statewide trend as unemployment is down measurably from one year ago.
The state's numbers find Oneida county's unemployment rate at 5.5 percent, Vilas at 6.3, Forest at 7.6, Langlade at 6.5, Lincoln 5.1, Price at 4.7 percent. Iron county had the state's second highest rate at 9.2 percent. Forest county's rate was fourth highest.
But state economist Beau Gellings says the rate reflects a 1-2 percent decrease in all counties from the June, 2014 numbers. He says the summer trend of more hiring of students and summer workers has happened again..
"....as we look at that seasonal trend, June (unemployment)starts to level out or pick up in some counties as we compare it to last year, it is very typical of the unemployment rate and its trend...."
Gellings talks about the influx...
"....we see those students become part of the labor force and they get picked up in that unemployment rate and then we see that tourism, or seasonal pattern as well...."
Dane county had the state's lowest rate at 3.5 percent.
