FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — One of the top concerns I hear from the Fond du Lac community these days is uncertainty about the job market, especially after the county’s biggest employer announced thousands of layoffs.
For months, I've been following local cuts and the impact on area workers.
- Recent job cuts at Fond du Lac County's biggest employer has made some workers nervous about the job market.
- Fond du Lac County's unemployment rate remains below the state average, but is up from last month.
- Video shows employees and workforce specialists reflecting on the job market in our area.
Mike Brenner is looking for work.
I caught up with him as he browsed a job fair at Moraine Park Technical College put on by Fox Valley Workforce Development.
He still has a job at Mercury Marine, but is working significantly fewer hours over the next few months, after the company announced short-term layoffs.
"It's a scary situation and it puts a lot of stress on you and on your family," Brenner said.
Brenner is worried that soon, he’ll be let go entirely.
“The writing’s on the wall, I feel, and it's time to try something else,” Brenner said.
Outside of the job fair, Max Gehrman, another worker in Fond du Lac, is also looking for work. He said he wants to find a manufacturing job that can support his family, but he's discouraged by news of the layoffs.
"How you pay the mortgage? Get everything done? Pay the car bills?" Gehrman said.
Earlier this year, Mercury Marine, the county's biggest employer, eliminated more than 400 jobs.
An employee I spoke with at the time said it was difficult to find new work.
"I think I put about 30 applications out there, and three companies reach back," the employee said.
Then in July, Mercury announced short term layoffs, cutting hours of another 1,700 workers.
One of those employees told me he's also looking for more work.
"It's just very somber," that employee said.
Charter Communications also recently announced that it's laying off 122 employees at its Fond du Lac support center at the end of August.
The county's unemployment rate is currently three percent. That's higher than it was just a month ago,but still under the state average of 3.4 percent.
"There are jobs available," said Sarah Van Buren, director of business intelligence at Envision Greater Fond du Lac.
According to Fox Valley Workforce Development and Envision, the area along I-41 between Fond du Lac and Green Bay has one of the highest concentrations of manufacturing jobs in the country.
But Envision's Lisa McArthur said the labor market may be shifting with high inflation.
"It trickles down, and it took maybe a little bit longer for the Midwest to feel that impact, but I think we're feeling it now, for sure," McArthur said.
Van Buren said workers may sometimes need to reevaluate expectations for jobs.
"Can I say that they're going to be at the exact same wage levels, Mercury Marine offers? Probably not," Van Buren said. "But there's still good, livable wages that are being offered by our manufacturers in any business, that's looking to hire somebody right now in the county."
Van Buren said people who may have worked in manufacturing jobs should be open to trying something new.
"I think one of the things that people are really struggling with is not finding a job in the career field that they're used to being in," Van Buren said.
McArthur said other industries, like healthcare, are hiring many workers.
That's welcome news to workers like Brenner, who said he’s open to finding a job in another industry.
"I need something more solid," Brenner said.
Mercury Marine’s parent company, Brunswick, shared in a recent earnings call that second quarter outcomes were below what they expected.
I asked the company if more layoffs are coming. They said they still employ thousands in Wisconsin and will continue continue to watch demand and the market, and adjust accordingly.
