Racine Sun

Job vacancies may be a good thing, but most Wisconsin businesses are struggling to fill theirs, according to a report authored by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC).

The group’s winter 2022 Wisconsin Employer Survey, which was released on Feb. 14, determined that around 90% of the state’s employers haven’t made hires, Green Bay’s FOX11 reported.

"Wisconsin does not have enough people to fill the jobs we have available, and that creates an aggressive competition for talent,” WMC president/CEO Kurt Bauer told the station. “We are seeing wages rise at a faster rate, sign-on bonuses, work flexibility and many other strategies from companies to attract and retain talent."

The survey additionally revealed that businesses would resort in wage hikes to get more people to apply with them.

Over 80% of respondents expected to boost wages by 3% this year while 34% would do so by 4%, FOX11 reported.

"Wages are rising much faster than they have in recent memory," Bauer said in a statement obtained by the station.

Positive views on the Wisconsin and national economies have dipped, according to the survey.

FOX11 reported that 53% of Wisconsin businesses said the state’s economy is strong, compared to 58% last summer.

Barely 40% viewed the nation’s economy as strong, compared to 53% last summer.

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay human resources professor Allen Huffcutt said wage increases will prove problematic down the line.

"If one company raises their wages and lured away some employees, somebody else loses," Huffcutt told FOX11. "There just isn't enough free employees or potential workers to fill those extra spots, so one gains, one loses."

As Wisconsin grapples with unfilled job openings, rumors abound that Oshkosh Defense could relocate to the state from South Carolina.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) asserted that the company won’t pull up stakes and move almost 1,000 miles.

“It’s not like we don’t have enough jobs here in Wisconsin,” Johnson told Associated Press. “The biggest problem we have in Wisconsin right now is employers not being able to find enough workers.”