As school districts announced their fall reopening plans, 43% of Wisconsin business leaders responding to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s fifth statewide COVID-19 economic impact survey believe their district’s plans would have significant impact on workforce availability.

Another one-third of respondents were still unsure about the impact, said Jeffrey Sachse, interim director of UWO’s Center for Customized Research and Services.

Jeffrey Sachse

“This comes as most businesses report fewer than a quarter of their employees normally face childcare needs with typical accommodations including scheduling changes or flexible hours,” Sachse said. “This is poised to again be a significant issue as businesses generally are ill-equipped to offer other accommodations at the same time that the state’s childcare infrastructure is strained beyond capacity.”

Businesses representing 39,705 employees across Wisconsin responded to the survey administered from Aug. 6 to 21.

For the month of July 2020, they reported:

• Income gains of $5.7 million
• Inventory gains of $4.7 million
• Wage and productivity gains of $2.5 million
• Other financial losses of $1 million

“The August survey results again point to a business community that is recovering, though recovery slowed significantly from the June reopening. Employment gains also slowed despite a declining state unemployment rate, suggesting that firms are either unable to add staff or are hesitant to do so given ongoing uncertainties,” Sachse said.

Businesses similarly continue to express concerns regarding customer traffic and anticipate additional rounds of financial assistance even as their interest in currently available programs diminishes.

The survey is a partnership of UWO, the state’s nine Regional Development Organizations and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The August survey received a total of 441 responses and is reported with a margin of error of +/- 3%.

The September survey is scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 31.

Learn more:

• UWO COVID-19 impact survey: Majority of business and personal travel grounded for rest of 2020
• UWO COVID-19 economic impact survey shows Wisconsin businesses pivoting to online services
• Wisconsin manufacturers ‘mildly positive’ in survey, though some chose to lay off workers
• UWO COVID-19 economic impact study indicates ‘greater sense of resilience’ among Wisconsin businesses
• UWO COVID-19 economic impact study: Nearly 9,800 jobs lost, 35 percent of responding businesses could close
• COVID-19 economic impact study at UW Oshkosh