Six Things to Know About the Future of the Chippewa Valley Job Market

“Gyrations” aren’t just for the dance floor – they can happen in the labor market, too. That’s one of the messages of the most recent workforce profile for Eau Claire County from the state Department of Workforce Development. The report, which came out last summer, is chockfull of important data, including a reminder that in today’s world, the job market – and the economy as a whole – can be volatile.

Consider, for instance, just where the Wisconsin labor market was in April 2020, when the state unemployment rate spiked to 14.1% in the initial weeks of the pandemic. Two years later, in April 2022, it had plunged to 2.8% (a record low), and as of April 2024 it was just 2.9%. (Those are the “employment gyrations” referenced above.)

Pandemics aside, there are plenty of forces, big and small, pulling on the labor market in the nation, state, and right here in the Chippewa Valley. Among the biggest is demographic change, as an aging population moves out of the workforce. Here are some of the biggest takeaways and most notable stats from the report (which you can find in its entirety as a PDF here).

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