Number of jobs on upswing in the Chippewa Valley

Tom Giffey |

As much as all of us working stiffs are happy when Friday rolls around, deep down we’re still grateful to have jobs. And, according to the latest state stats, more of us in the Chippewa Valley have got ’em. Unemployment in the metro area (Eau Claire and Chippewa counties) sunk to 5.6 percent in August, the latest month for which figures are available. That’s down from 6 percent in July and 6.2 percent a year earlier. How many jobs is that? According to state Department of Workforce Development figures, there’s been a net increase of 2,200 jobs in the Valley over the past year. (When adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, that total slipped to a still-respectable 1,900.) The Eau Claire metro jobless rate beat the state figure of 6 percent and was toward the top of the pack statewide. The bottom line: We’ve got 2,200 more reasons to say “TGIF.”