In his sometimes feast-or-famine existence as a laborer, Vidal Flores Jr. is in a slump. It's the first time, he says, that he has had to ask his landlord to let him pay his rent late. He has requested the energy company to put him on an assistance plan. For Thanksgiving dinner, his relatives have told him that he and his wife need only contribute a jar of olives.
Every day, sometimes more than once, Flores calls his business agent at Local 113 of Laborers' International Union to see if there's work available for him. Every day since August, when he got laid off from an asbestos abatement project in Port Washington, the answer has been no.
"It's hard out there right now. It's real hard," Flores says. "I'll take whatever I can get."
For other job seekers, though, opportunities appear to be picking up, according to government data released Tuesday.
Unemployment rates fell last month in 59 of Wisconsin's 72 counties and in 10 of the state's 11 metropolitan areas, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Unemployment rates showed year-over-year improvements in 39 counties and five metro areas.
"Though we are certainly not out of the woods, we are pleased to see this positive movement in the state's labor market," Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman said in releasing the local unemployment figures.
New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show Wisconsin as one of 27 states, plus the District of Columbia, where employment increased in the past year. Still, Wisconsin ranked 10th among the states in manufacturing jobs lost - 17,800 fewer last month than in October 2002. Wisconsin was third in lost construction jobs - down 7,100 from the year before, a 5.8% slip that was the largest percentage drop in the country.
"We're seeing a continuation of that trend in construction," said Eric Grosso, a labor economist with the Department of Workforce Development in Madison. Even with low interest rates making residential building more affordable and driving a robust housing market, most businesses remain spooked enough by the economy that they're holding off on major building projects, Grosso said.
As a result, Flores is one of 143 members of the 1,700-person Local 113 who is not working, according to John J. Schmidt, business manager for the union. That's an unemployment rate of more than 8%, as opposed to a statewide seasonally adjusted rate of 5.4% last month.
"Two, three, four, five years ago, we didn't have anybody" unemployed, Schmidt said. And he added that he doesn't see work picking up again until maybe next year.
Significant employment increases would take a while, Grosso agreed, but there are positive signs, including an addition of 2,500 retail jobs in the Milwaukee area last month.
"We're really starting to see a good bump," Grosso said, with retail employment in some parts of the state up 10% from a year ago.
The National Retail Federation has projected a 5.7% increase in holiday sales this year. That doesn't necessarily translate into more jobs, but retail workers expect some flexibility in their schedules during the holidays.
"Business has been better, so people step up," said Terry Stuhlmacher, co-owner of Winkie Variety Store in Whitefish Bay, which recently hired more staff.
At Menomonee Falls-based Kohl's Corp., "Our hiring has been about the same per store as last year," said Steve Mann, a spokesman for the chain.
Stores hiring for the year-end holidays could be a harbinger of employment yet to come, Grosso said.
"It says that they're getting a feeling that consumers are willing to spend," he said.
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