Skip to content

Tuesday, Sep. 27, 2022

Did U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson say Wisconsin has ‘enough’ jobs?


yes

In February, Wisconsin's incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson stated that, "Obviously I am always supportive of manufacturing here in Wisconsin, but at the same time, I recognize that manufacturers have different capabilities elsewhere." 

Johnson was responding to an interview question about the plans of Oshkosh Defense to manufacture 165,000 new U.S. Postal Service trucks outside of Wisconsin, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. 

Johnson said he would not "insert" himself in the decision about the federally funded contract. "It's not like we don't have enough jobs here in Wisconsin," he added. "The biggest problem we have in Wisconsin right now is employers not being able to find enough workers."

Johnson's statement, although criticized by Democrats and others, referenced Wisconsin's widely reported labor shortage. When he made the statement in February, Wisconsin had a near-record low unemployment rate of 2.9%.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.