Unemployment rate slumps
New city office aims to foster better job training, placement
By Christopher Placek
Though the number of jobs in Milwaukee is increasing, the city still has a high unemployment rate, according to a recent study on employment trends.
In August, the city's unemployment rate ranked second-to-last among 50 major U.S. cities, according to a report by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Economic Development. The study also found that while more people are getting jobs here, it's happening at a slower rate than in other major urban cities.
Politicians and community leaders are offering solutions on how to fix the city's unemployment problems.
The UWM study said the "massive" number of manufacturing jobs that have left the city since 2000 put Milwaukee 46th out of the 50 largest U.S. cities in employment growth since that time.
Mayor Tom Barrett said in an interview that the city has lost several low-skill jobs that are done at a lower cost elsewhere. The solution to easing unemployment, he said, is education.
"If there's a job that can be done less expensively and is not geographically tied to this community, the chances of that job leaving are high," Barrett said. "That's why we have to change the way this community thinks about education, change the way this community acts about education, or the future's going to be bleak."
The creation of the Office of Workforce Development is now taking place, said Donald Sykes, who will be the office's director. Sykes is currently head of a separate entity, the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, which is also under the direction of the city.
The board, recently reorganized from the former Private Industry Council, is working on creating a more integrated workforce system, Sykes said. By the creation of "a single point of entry" for businesses to access all government sponsored workforce programs in the area, the organization wants to provide employers with employees when they need them, he said.
Sykes also said the board hopes to establish three career centers in the city for job seekers.
In August, the city's unemployment rate ranked second-to-last among 50 major U.S. cities, according to a report by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Economic Development. The study also found that while more people are getting jobs here, it's happening at a slower rate than in other major urban cities.
Politicians and community leaders are offering solutions on how to fix the city's unemployment problems.
The UWM study said the "massive" number of manufacturing jobs that have left the city since 2000 put Milwaukee 46th out of the 50 largest U.S. cities in employment growth since that time.
Mayor Tom Barrett said in an interview that the city has lost several low-skill jobs that are done at a lower cost elsewhere. The solution to easing unemployment, he said, is education.
"If there's a job that can be done less expensively and is not geographically tied to this community, the chances of that job leaving are high," Barrett said. "That's why we have to change the way this community thinks about education, change the way this community acts about education, or the future's going to be bleak."
The creation of the Office of Workforce Development is now taking place, said Donald Sykes, who will be the office's director. Sykes is currently head of a separate entity, the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, which is also under the direction of the city.
The board, recently reorganized from the former Private Industry Council, is working on creating a more integrated workforce system, Sykes said. By the creation of "a single point of entry" for businesses to access all government sponsored workforce programs in the area, the organization wants to provide employers with employees when they need them, he said.
Sykes also said the board hopes to establish three career centers in the city for job seekers.
Published: 10/30/07 Section: News
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