The COVID-19 pandemic not only derailed economic progress made in Wisconsin, but sent shockwaves throughout the nation as well. Seemingly overnight, businesses shuttered their doors, commerce grinded to a halt, and tens of thousands of Wisconsinites found themselves jobless through no fault of their own.
As the state, and country, began to bounce back from the pitfalls created by the pandemic, a new one began to emerge—a wave of unemployment fraud and thousands of businesses struggling to fill open jobs.
In Wisconsin alone, it is estimated that more than 140,000 jobs were lost from 2020 to 2021. Worse yet, the economic comeback has been stalled by the unemployment debacle plaguing the state, as at least 130,000 jobs remain open.
