Months after a University of Wisconsin-Extension report painted a stark picture of the state’s labor crunch, residents and business owners in New Glarus say little has changed — and the numbers back them up.

The June 24, 2025 University of Wisconsin-Extension analysis found that Wisconsin faced an average monthly shortfall of 93,099 workers from January 2021 through February 2025, even as job openings hovered near 190,000 and unemployment stayed below 100,000. In practical terms, that means there simply are not enough workers in the state to fill the jobs already available.