(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development said it recovered nearly $1 million in recovered wages and penalties owed to workers in 2024.
The state’s Uninsured Employers Fund reached $111 million from illegally uninsured employers. That fund was created in 1990 to pay worker’s compensation benefits on valid claims filed by employees injured while working for illegally uninsured Wisconsin employers.
The department also collected $400,500 in fines for 1,477 misclassified workers that were identified.
The numbers came from the department’s annual report, released this week.
The report highlighted the state reaching a record employment number of 3,073,900 in November along with an all-time high of 3,047,300 nonfarm jobs in August.
The state spent $158 million on workforce needs and support during the year with $128 million going to the Workforce Innovation Grant Program. The program awarded 27 grants of up to $10 million to regional organizations to design and implement innovative plans to address workforce challenges.
The grants went to improve childcare, housing, transportation along with workforce training. An example of the grants was the Waupaca County Economic Development Corporation’s Catch-a-Ride program that completed 10,000 workforce rides during the summer.
The state’s employers saw a 10.5% reduction in worker’s compensation insurance rates as determined by the actuaries on the Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau.
It was the ninth straight year that insurance premiums lowered and is estimated to save Wisconsin employers $206 million.