Wage Theft ‘Rampant’ in State 10% of construction workers bilked of $23,500 per year on average. Will Legislature address problem? By Bruce Murphy - Jan 20th, 2021 11:49 am //end headline wrapper ?> Construction. File photo by Jack Fennimore. A new study finds that wage theft is a huge problem in the Wisconsin construction industry. It estimates that 10% of the state’s construction workforce, some 14,500 workers, are either misclassified or paid off the books. accounting for 10 percent of the workforce. As a result, they earn 31 percent less ($23,500 an...