Top 15 Employers in Kenosha County, 2010 v. 2003

Link to August 1 Kenosha News article, "Employment shift seen in county".

Excerpt:   What a difference a few years make. It’s true of Kenosha County, anyway.

In seven years, from 2003 to 2010, employment here has undergone a radical shift, from a dependence on manufacturing such things as cars and tools to packaging, handling and distributing all kinds of goods.

“It’s really reflective of the changing nature of the country’s economy as a whole,” said Jerry Franke, president of Wispark. Logistics and distribution define the current employment picture, he said.

Todd Battle, president of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, agrees that what is happening in Kenosha is happening everywhere.

“The loss of manufacturing jobs isn’t a local phenomenon or shocker. Manufacturing employment in the state and across the country has been on a downward trend for the better part of this decade.”

With the dramatic decline of Chrysler and Snap-on — old-line manufacturers that shed thousands of jobs in just a few years — it’s hard to believe that the economic shift hasn’t hit harder here than it has nationwide.