UnitedHealthcare adding jobs in Howard

HOWARD - A major area employer is hiring even more workers.

UnitedHealthcare says it plans to add nearly 170 full-time jobs.

The health benefits company is based in Howard.

More people will soon fill cubicles at Brown County's 6th largest private employer.

United Healthcare is adding 169 customer care jobs to its call-center.

"This particular office services customers in all over the country, they don't service here in Green Bay or in Wisconsin, we're experiencing growth as a company and need to expand our service jobs," explained UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin President and CEO, Wendy Arnone. "We've had a great experience here for many years and that makes us really want to continue to grow and expand in this area."

Officials say the starting salary will be between $13/15 an hour.

The company employs about 2,000 people at the Howard location.

That is the largest of UnitedHealthcare's 12 facilities in Wisconsin.

Governor Scott Walker also spoke at the jobs announcement.

While they may not be the highest paying jobs in the state, Walker says it's growth none-the-less.

He credits both the area's workforce and his administration's work to improve the business climate.

"I think it's incredibly important, I think it's a good sign when you have a business that wants to grow here, they can grow just about anywhere, but the fact they're now, here in NE Wisconsin, it's part of a 7,500 job presence in the state of Wisconsin," Walker said. "Having talked to the management in the past, certainly it's about the market share and growth, but also because they like doing business in Wisconsin.

However, officials with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin disagree.

Chair Mike Tate wrote in a statement to FOX 11, "Nice to see Scott Walker finally focusing on jobs after spending his term ramming through divisive policies that have nothing to do with job creation."

The company says it has already started hiring.

A job fair is scheduled on Thursday at the Howard location.

Click here to view the career page of UnitedHealthcare's parent company based in Minneapolis.