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Janesville jobless rate jumps in May by 1 full percent

Fueled by layoffs at several area manufacturers, Janesville’s unemployment rate edged up to the highest among Wisconsin cities in May.

The state Department of Workforce Development said Wednesday that Janesville’s unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, up from 5.5 percent a year ago and 5.1 percent a month ago.

The General Motors assembly plant in Janesville, as well as its key suppliers Lear Corp. and LSI, reported layoffs as a result of the United Auto Workers strike against American Axle, which curtailed GM production in Janesville. The Janesville manufacturers have also made workforce adjustments in relation to a slowing line speed at the local truck plant.

Other local manufacturers, including Simmons in Janesville, also had layoffs in May.

On a statewide basis, other areas fared better. The state’s May unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent from 4.4 percent a month ago and 4.7 percent a year ago.

Among Wisconsin’s 12 metro areas, only the Wausau and the Janesville areas had higher unemployment rates last month than in May 2007.

Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., said Wednesday that he has included $1 million in an appropriations bill to help GM and affiliated workers in Janesville train for new jobs through Blackhawk Technical College.

Kohl, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he expects the committee to approve the measure containing his $1 million proposal today.

“GM's decision to close its Janesville facility is a blow to its loyal and skilled workforce, the families that depend on those jobs, and the community that faces the economic hardship of seeing its largest employer leave,” Kohl said in a news release. “The people at GM—and those at the local suppliers that depend on them—are making tough choices about what to do next, and I know that we are all working to make sure that they have good options.”

The federal funding will help support career and aptitude assessment testing; career and technical education instruction; basic skills or college readiness instruction; tuition, books, materials, and related fees for educational program enrollment; and job readiness/job placement services.