The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Unemployment rate slumps

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.,”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.

He said the manufacturing workforce is more skilled today than it used to be, and most jobs now require at least one year of training after college.

"I think there are plenty of jobs that are going unfilled and the reason is there's a mismatch between the skills of many of the people in the city and the requirements of today's job market," Sykes said.

While city officials try to reduce unemployment, private groups are also responding.

A group of 36 area churches known as the Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope wants the city to increase the hiring requirement of unemployed workers on major construction projects from 25 percent to 30 percent said the Rev. Joe Jackson, chair of the MICAH Jobs and Economic Development Task Force. They hope the ordinance passes within the next four months, he said.

Milwaukee Job Development, a job placement agency, has found 477 jobs for workers since the organization began in January 2006. The company has partnerships with more than 90 businesses in the area, said William Jenkins, the group's director.

"We're working both sides of street. We're saying to the employer, 'You need people, and we want to help you find people,' " Jenkins said. "A little softer, we're saying to people, 'We can help you find something, but here are some things to do to be job-ready.'

"The hope at end is that we have a match and we've been successful."

Jenkins and Barrett both emphasized the importance of education in today's workforce.

"Fifty years ago in this city, what you needed to succeed was a strong back and a good alarm clock," Barrett said.

"Can we turn it around? I think we can, but it's something that everybody has to be involved in."

Story continues below advertisement