MADISON, Wis.— After Wisconsin added more than 34,700 non-farming jobs in August, the state's unemployment rate dropped to 6.2 percent. Wisconsin also gained 16,700 new private-sector jobs.

The Department of Workforce Development released preliminary employment estimates for August 2020 on Thursday. 

In July 2020, Wisconsin's unemployment rate was 7.1 percent. That's a 0.9 percent decrease in one month. 

In comparison to the rest of the country, Wisconsin's unemployment rate was lower than average. The national unemployment rate in August 2020 was 8.4 percent. 

"While COVID-19 continues to hamstring economic recovery, especially in certain industries, DWD's programming is available to help individuals safely reenter the workforce," DWD secretary Caleb Frostman says. "I encourage individuals looking to gain new skills or learn how to apply their existing skills to a new job to visit JobCenterofWisconsin.com to explore our array of services that are available via in-person or virtual appointment."

DWD says that they received 6,546,554 weekly claims between March 15 and Sept. 12. 10.9 percent are being processed and 89.1 percent have been resolved. 

That means 713,508 claims are awaiting wage verification or adjudication, among other statuses. 5,833,046 have either been officially paid or denied. 

For more information on unemployment services, click here.