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Workforce Investment Research

The Employment and Training Institute prepared a series of studies for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB) and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to help identify current needs of the workforce in Milwaukee County and to detail barriers to employment for hard-to-serve groups.

Understanding the Unemployed Workforce in Milwaukee County examines the industries and earnings of 48,131 workers in Milwaukee County who were laid off from their jobs and drew unemployment insurance benefits in Second Quarter of 2009. The manufacturing sector showed the sharpest declines and largest wage losses. For those 14,747 workers earning prior quarterly wages of at least $10,000, 57% were employed in manufacturing and 24% in construction.

Health Occupation Drilldowns for Milwaukee County profiles licensing patterns for currently state-licensed professionals in 7 key occupations. The number of annual registrants of nurses (RNs) more than doubled from 2000 to 2008. These include newly trained nurses, LPNs upgrading to RN licensing, and in-migrants seeking a Wisconsin license. The state data showed the following average annual numbers of health professionals licensed from Milwaukee County: 500 RNs, 140 licensed practical nurses, 19 dental hygienists, 16 occupational therapists, 7 occupational therapy assistants, 119 physical therapists, and 12 physical therapist assistants.

Ex-Offender Populations in Milwaukee County describes the employment needs of 22,985 adult ex-offenders released to Milwaukee County from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and 8,167 adults on probation or parole. The prison population is mostly male (88%) and two-thirds African American. Most of the adults admitted to and released from DOC facilities are of prime working age. Only 6% of released prisoners had a valid driver's license with no suspensions or revocations.

Occupational Shifts in Private Industry in the Milwaukee Metro Area tracks 10-year declines in private sector blue collar jobs and large increases in professional workers, based on analysis of EEO-1 reports filed by companies with 100 or more workers. The EEO reports cover 339,669 private sector employees in the four-county area. Significant occupational shifts were observed. Companies are reporting far fewer workers engaged as skilled craftsmen, semi-skilled operatives, and unskilled laborers and increases in workers employed as professionals (usually with a four-year college degree or more), managers, sales workers, technicians (usually with 2+ years of college or technical training), and office staff. Minorities hold 45% of laborer jobs but only 8% of managerial jobs in the larger private firms of the metro Milwaukee area.

Socio-Economic Analysis of Issues Facing Children and Families in Milwaukee Public Schools

As a planning supplement to the annual count of school children in the city of Milwaukee, the Employment and Training Institute assembled institutional and administrative data bases to help identify neighborhood issues of concern to educators. Nine high-poverty Milwaukee zip codes are analyzed in detail: 53204, 53205, 53206, 53208, 53210, 53212, 53216, 53218, and 53233. (See also "Research Brief Presentation" for Milwaukee Public Schools.)

Mobility rates among MPS families can be expected to continue at very high levels. While the number of regular housing sales in the 9 zip codes have dropped to pre-2002 levels, sheriff sales for foreclosed housing have risen from 828 in 2006 to 1,419 in 2007, and up to almost 2,600 houses in 2008. In many neighborhoods houses in foreclosure and scheduled for sheriff sales are found on nearly every block -- contributing to displacement of renters, abandoned properties, and neighborhood deterioration.

The Wisconsin incarceration rate, second in the U.S. for African Americans, results in hundreds of ex-offenders released each year into the neighborhoods where MPS students are most concentrated.

In the inner city there were 12,438 traffic accidents reported in 2008 and 35% of these were "hit and run," where the driver did not remain at the scene to aid victims or report damages. In zip code 53204, 46% of traffic accidents were "hit and run." Parking near schools is an issue, with 4,003 thefts of vehicles in the 9 zip codes (an average of 11 per day) and thousands of thefts from motor vehicles.

A major concern is the number of parents receiving federal-state subsidized child care who may be keeping their children in day care full-time rather than enrolling them in early childhood education in the public or private schools. Only about a fourth of Milwaukee's 3-year-olds are enrolled in pre-kindergarten schooling. An estimated 20% of Milwaukee four-year-olds are not in schools, and about 15% of five-year-old Milwaukee children may not attend kindergarten. In 2008-09 the subsidy for Milwaukee County children in full- and part-time care was $7,040 per child. There is little oversight of child care expenditures or data on expected educational and developmental outcomes, wages paid to staff and administrators, qualifications of staff, curricula used, planned activities, or transportation costs. MORE>>

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Job Openings in the 7-County Milwaukee Region
A May 2009 survey of employers in the seven-county Milwaukee region showed an estimated 7,520 full-time and 3,449 part-time openings. Openings were down by 16,100 from those reported in May 2006. The combination of workers laid off from their jobs and lower openings available led to an unprecedented 13 to 1 job gap in the region between people seeking work and full-time jobs available. The job gap in inner city Milwaukee is 25 to 1. (See also Presentation to the Regional Workforce Alliance.)

The health industry is the dominant force in the current job market. One out of every 4 full-time openings and one out of every 3 part-time openings is in a health-related field (either directly providing health care or working for a health-care provider). The largest openings in health are for 731 registered nurses, 689 nursing assistants (CNAs), 274 health technologists and technicians, 161 licensed practical nurses, 121 health aides, and 92 pharmacists.

Technical training is key for a majority of jobs available in the region. Half of full-time openings and 65% of part-time openings require education, technical training and/or occupation-specific experience beyond high school but short of a four-year college degree. Limited (non-health) opportunities are available for food service supervisors, computer specialists, truck drivers, receptionists, office clerks, and billing clerks.

The labor market has nearly dried up for unskilled workers lacking a high school diploma and occupation-specific experience. In May 2006 there were an estimated 6,548 full-time openings for these workers; in May 2009 there were less than 500 such openings. Only 1% of job openings in the health fields are open to unskilled workers lacking a high school diploma. Job demand for blue collar entry level workers took the greatest hits. Full-time openings for handlers, helpers and laborers are down 94% compared to 3 years ago, and demand for workers in transportation and material-moving occupations dropped by 71% for full-time openings.

For college grads the most promising job opportunities are for nurses, elementary and secondary teachers (replacing baby boomer retirees), engineers, and business majors (in accounting, finance, and marketing, although a majority of the jobs require experienced professionals). Computer jobs are down to 1/5 of prior levels. MORE>>

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Milwaukee Children Most Impacted by the Recession
Data on child poverty rates within Wisconsin schools show that Milwaukee Public Schools now educate 25% of all Wisconsin students (public and private) from low-income families of poverty, but only 3% of middle income children in the state. Over the last six years, even as its total enrollment has declined, MPS has enrolled a higher number (and percentage) of poor children. Within the Milwaukee metropolitan area, MPS has become largely responsible for educating the poor (with 88% of MPS students eligible for free or reduced price lunches) while the suburban and outer ring public school districts educate the middle class (with 86% of their students not eligible for subsidized meals).

The concentration of poverty among Milwaukee families attending MPS has reached the point where 92% of MPS students now attend a school where over half of the children are poor and 67% attend a building with extreme concentrations of poverty (that is, where over 75% of the students are poor). In the suburban schools, only 4% of students attend a school where half of the children are poor and only 1% attend a high-concentration poverty school.

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Evaluation of Milwaukee Driver's License Recovery Program
Driver's license recovery success rates for the Center for Driver's License Recovery & Employability clients receiving case management services were at 60% in 2008, even higher than the 51% success rates reported in 2007. Over the first 16 months of the program, recovery success rates totaled 70% for clients referred by employment services agencies and for clients receiving legal assistance (for particularly difficult cases). Over a fourth of the male clients had state prison records, and 58% of this difficult-to-serve population obtained their driving privileges through the program in 2008.

Women gaining their license privileges through the CDLRE showed wage gains of $759 per quarter ($253 more per month) in First Quarter 2008. Improvements were seen in unemployment rates for successful male clients and in the percentage of men employed at least full-time.

Under the CDLRE service delivery model, clients are provided advice on the steps they need to take to restore or obtain their driving privileges. Case managers and legal staff provide training to clients on how to work through the municipal and circuit court systems, identify deadlines and action steps required, and arrange for community service and payment plans (if they are unable to pay outstanding fines). The emphasis is on personal responsibility, with clients trained to redress future licensing problems on their own.

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Most Requested Studies

Indicators of Need in Milwaukee's Poorest Neighborhood (Zip code 53206): 2009 report for MPS | Summary of 2007 Indicators | Full 2007 Report | Housing Crisis Update
In 2004 and 2005 this neighborhood was targeted by 60 different mortgage companies -- most from out-of-state -- issuing subprime loans. As of 2006, a majority (62%) of young men had been incarcerated in state prison. In 2008 this neighborhood was selected by Milwaukee philanthropist Joseph Zilber for a 10-year Zilber Neighborhood Initiative.

Report Cards on African American and Minority Participation in Construction Trade Apprenticeships in the Milwaukee Area, A Two-Year Progress Report: Hires by 18 Construction Trades | Hires by 519 Construction Firms
The number of African American apprentices in construction trades increased 80% (from 122 in 2005 to 219 in 2007) and 85 Milwaukee area companies increased their hires of African American apprentices, according to a 2-year collaborative project with the NAACP Milwaukee Branch. 11 trades still have less than 10% African American apprentices.

The Drivers License Status of the Voting Age Population in Wisconsin .
First-time analysis of drivers license issues based on the race and ethnicity of drivers and unlicensed adults in Wisconsin. Less than half (47%) of African American adults and 43% of Hispanic adults in Milwaukee County have a valid driver's license, compared to 85% of white adults in the balance of Wisconsin outside Milwaukee County.

Jobs for Workers on Relief in Milwaukee County: 1930s-1990s (scanned PDF file, 5.4 mb)
From 1930 to 1995 Milwaukee city and county governments created thousands of jobs for families and individuals who could not find unsubsidized employemnt and who sought county relief.

CHILD CARE NEEDS AND BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT
ETI surveys of central city Milwaukee workers have repeatedly identified two areas as barriers to employment: child care and transportation to jobs. When AFDC was eliminated for most low-income families, the federal government invested in largescale support for child care. The Shares program in Wisconsin now provides $180 million per year in subsidies in Milwaukee County, the largest government jobs programs (i.e., for child care workers) in the metro area. Issues of costs, quality of care, and employment patterns of subsidized parents are critical to the integrity of the Wisconsin Shares program.

DRIVER'S LICENSE OBSTACLES TO EMPLOYMENT
Among the most critical barriers facing central city workers are the thousands of suspensions and revocations imposed on drivers in Wisconsin for failure to pay fines and civil forfeitures. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board has issued recommendations, based in part on ETI studies of license suspensions by race and neighborhood.

JOB OPENINGS SURVEYS
The job vacancies methodology developed by the UWM Employment and Training Institute has been adopted as a national model by the U.S. Department of Labor and is now used by at least 15 states for statewide surveys and by 15 major metro areas to determine job needs by region. The surveys allow tracking of employment and training needs through periods of economic growth and help measure changing needs of employers during recessionary periods. The most recent Milwaukee regional job vacancy survey was conducted in May 2009. For this survey, 3,867 employers provided detailed data on their current job vacancies (through mail surveys, follow-up phone interviews, and web postings).

LEARNING FROM THE WPA
In 1936 the Milwaukee city government alone created 12,000 year-round WPA jobs in construction, education, health and office work for men and women heading families hardest hit by the Great Depression. Women working in shifts of three to four hundred operated a sewing center which made nearly a million articles of clothing for needy families and children in the community. By 1940 Milwaukee County "relief workers" had helped build one of the finest park systems in the nation. Many of the challenges faced in the 1930s must be addressed in developing anti-recessionary programs today. Most serious will be access of African Americans to infrastructure jobs: a 2007 City of Milwaukee study found that African American-owned firms obtained only 1.5% of the city's nearly $200 million outlays for contracted work. The City's population is 40% African American.

MILWAUKEE'S HOUSING CRISIS
Home ownership rose by 10,715 in Milwaukee County from 2000 to 2006. Subprime lending dropped but high-interest rate mortgages rose 35% (2005 to 2006, Milw. County). Nearly 1/3 of Milwaukee renters are spending at least half their income on housing in 2006 (up from 21% in 2000). High-risk borrowing in ZIP code 53206 continues at all-time high, with 60 subprime lending firms (nearly all from out-of-state) issuing mortgages in this poorest Milwaukee neighborhood. In 2008 home ownership rates dropped dramatically in the inner city.

MINORITY ACCESS TO JOBS AND HOUSING
The Institute has prepared a series of report cards on housing integration throughout the U.S. and hiring practices of Milwaukee area companies and governments. Interactive diversity tables are available for every U.S. census tract. According to the most recent NAACP report card, African Americans hold only 10% of the apprenticeships in Milwaukee area construction trades, Latinos hold 6% of the apprenticeships, and women (of all races) hold only 3% of apprenticeships. Access of minorities and women to construction jobs will be critical as the federal government under the Obama Administration utilizes infrastructure and housing construction work as major anti-recessionary measures.

PRISON RATES AMONG MILWAUKEE WORKERS
For Milwaukee County men in their late twenties, 2 in 5 African Americans, 1 in 20 Latinos, and 1 in 20 whites have been incarcerated in state correctional facilities. In Milwaukee's poorest ZIPcode (53206), 62% of young men in their early 30s have been imprisoned and face multiple employment barriers upon release.

SCHOOL TO WORK CURRICULUM AND RESEARCH
ETI job openings research identify increased job opportunities for college grads (i.e., computer programs linking math and computer science), technical college training (i.e., welding, "hybrid" health care jobs), and Milwaukee Job Corps enrollees. Model curriculum materials prepared with high school and technical college teachers show how to help students learn about the local labor market and document their job readiness skills.

VOTER ID ISSUES
Employment and Training Institute research was used in the dissenting opinion by Supreme Court Justice David Souter in the Indiana voter ID case, was at the heart of U.S. Justice Department disagreements over Georgia's photo ID law, and is recommended in law review articles as the standard for empirical research needed to determine the constitutionality of state voter ID laws.

WELFARE RESEARCH
The Employment and Training Institute was selected by the State of Wisconsin to evaluate two major welfare reform programs initiated in the 1980s when Wisconsin showed declines in AFDC caseloads. The workfare (CWEP and WJET) evaluation utilized experimental and quasi-experimental designs to measure changes in family earnings and AFDC caseloads in 31 Wisconsin counties initiating new programs, but found no positive impact for the programs above what families achieved on their own during a healthy economic period. The Learnfare evaluation examined school attendance records for over 50,000 Wisconsin low-income teenagers. None of the school districts studied showed improvements in attendance for teens under the policy.

The welfare policies of the 1990s and 2000s were designed primarily to reduce the welfare rolls for all persons deemed capable of securing private-sector employment during a period of economic growth. New safety net approaches are needed as unemployment rates soar and unskilled workers find less access to lower-skilled jobs.

WORKFORCE TRAINING
Technical assistance and research projects focus on meeting regional needs for workers and improving WIA and TANF training and employment services to ex-offenders and other hard-to-serve populations. The UWM Employment and Training Institute provides technical assistance to the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB) and Regional Workforce Alliance. Research and policy papers detail the demographics of low-income working families and identify the strengths and availability of the central city labor force. A first-time Milwaukee County study identified the employment experience of 48,131 laid-off workers receiving unemployment insurance benefits.