'Downtown is having a renaissance': Milwaukee's workforce is heading back to the office, especially downtown

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Business in Milwaukee has made a noticeable recovery after the pandemic hurt the economy nationwide.

The city wouldn't function without its tens of thousands of employees, many of whom have chosen to head back to the office.

After a few quiet years, downtown Milwaukee's workforce is bouncing back, now with nearly 70,000 employees working in-person again.

The Third Ward's Catalano Square drew in more than 500 local workers Tuesday morning, for a gathering dubbed the "World's Largest Coffee Break."

Free caffeine, donuts, and waffles were on site to celebrate the 18th year of the Downtown Milwaukee Employee Appreciation Week.

"This has always been somewhat of a homecoming week, or a spirit week, if you will. A way of really rebuilding camaraderie," said Beth Weirick, the CEO of Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District #21.

"We want them to have great experiences coming downtown, pre and post work, or at lunch hour," said Jim Plaisted, executive director of the Historic Third Ward Association. "They're integral to our success."

This year's Appreciation Week is special, as Milwaukee is currently seeing an encouraging return to the workforce.

"We are one of the highest return-to-office downtowns across the country," Weirick said.

More than 80,000 people worked in downtown Milwaukee before the COVID pandemic hit in 2020.

Three years later, numbers are climbing back up.

"We're estimating we're somewhere in the high 67 to 70 percentile of individuals returning back to the office," Wierick said.

The Downtown Business Improvement District credits the return to the city's work ethic, especially in industries like real estate, insurance, and finance.

Many large companies are now having teams work in-office at least three days a week.

"We're seeing much more productivity when people are working in teams, they can bounce ideas off of each other," Wierick said.

The return to offices comes with new growth, as Milwaukee Tool, Fiserv, Kohls, and more move to join the center of the city.

"Downtown is having a renaissance, both of not only residential development, business environment, but also the employee environment," Plaisted said.

Downtown Milwaukee Employee Appreciation Week continues through Friday, Aug.18.

Click HERE for a schedule of events.