(WisBusiness) FRI News Summary — 6 Mar. 2009

From WisBusiness.com …

— In February, the national unemployment rate climbed from 7.6 to 8.1 percent, the highest rate in over 25 years.

Since the recession began in December 2007, job losses have totaled 4.4 million, well more than half of which occurred in the past 4 months.

Read the latest statement from the commissioner of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics for more: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/jec.pdf

— In Wisconsin, localized unemployment numbers for January show that all 72 counties saw increased unemployment for the month. January also saw six of the cities tracked by the Department of Workforce Development hitting double-digit unemployment, with Beloit’s rate of 15.1 percent topping the list. The other cities with an unemployment rate of 10 percent or more were Green Bay, Janesville, Racine, Sheboygan and West Bend.

See the DWD release: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/2009/unemployment/0109_local_lmi.pdf

— The Badger State’s credit unions are riding out the current economic storm remarkably well, according to the head of Wisconsin Credit Union League who declared his institutions “safe, sound and ready to lend.”

Brett Thompson, president and CEO of the League, said Wisconsin credit unions are in good shape because they stayed away from toxic subprime mortgages and other exotic loans that have brought down some lenders.

“We stuck to making very conventional mortgages and are doing quite well,” he told WisBusiness.com in a March 3 interview, noting that the Wall Street Journal and other national publications have cited credit unions for their “safety and soundness in these difficult times.”

“Our focus has not been on chasing big profits, but more on serving our members and the communities they live in,” he said.

See more from a new WisBusiness interview: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=151288

— Gov. Jim Doyle has announced $5.8 million for strategic workforce training, saying the programs reflect a major change in the way Wisconsin and its partners train workers and meet the needs of employers in growing sectors.

Doyle announced the initiatives along with highlighting the need for more jobs and the investment of Wisconsin businesses and workers in his address at the Milwaukee 7 Regional Economic Advisory Council at Manpower World Headquarters in Milwaukee.

“This is a very difficult time. It is a time when we have to decide what is most important to us,” Doyle said. “The Wisconsin Sector Strategic Workforce Initiatives is a new way of doing business.”

Doyle stressed the need for “regional economic development” by breaking down jurisdictional rivalries and building a strong workforce for skilled workers.

See the release for more: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=151222

— In a new opinion piece, John Berthelsen, president of Suttle-Strauss Inc. in Waunakee, argues that “bashing the use of paper is not as environmentally sound as many would have you think.”

He points out that the printing and paper industries are major employers in Wisconsin, adding that paper comes from a renewable resource and is biodegradable.

“Saying that you are saving a tree by not using paper is like saying that you are saving a stalk of wheat by not eating cereal,” he writes.

Read his piece for more: http://wisopinion.com/index.iml?mdl=article.mdl&article=19912

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HOW THE FEDERAL STIMULUS AFFECTS WISCONSIN, WITH GARY WOLTER

Thursday, MARCH 12, 2009

11:45 a.m. at the Madison Club

The event is open to the public, and the price for lunch is $15 for WisPolitics.com subscribers and Madison Club members, $19 for the general public. Call the Madison Club to register at (608) 255-4861. The luncheons start at 11:45 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m.

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THANKS TO OUR WISBUSINESS SPONSORS

• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Madison Gas & Electric
• University Research Park
• Wisconsin Technology Council

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