Recovery Summer in Full Swing (in Wisconsin)

In the month of June, the United States saw stagnant jobs numbers: The unemployment rate was at 9.2%, and the country made a net gain of a mere 18,000 jobs.

The state of Wisconsin, which constitutes about 2% of the country's population, saw a net gain of 9,500 jobs in June. Private sector job gains in Wisconsin were 12,900--the largest one-month jump since September 2003.

Governor Scott Walker, feeling cautiously vindicated for the controversial budget he pushed through, says in a statement:

The addition of 9,500 new jobs in Wisconsin, including nearly 13,000 private sector jobs, in the last month is encouraging news and a positive indication that our state is on the right track.  In light of national job numbers that saw our country create a net of only 18,000 jobs last month, our efforts in Wisconsin stand out.  Most importantly the new jobs mean that thousands of families all across our state will now be getting a paycheck, in some cases for the first time in over a year. 

 

We have made difficult decisions in our state, but they are beginning to payoff.  Despite the state’s good news, we still have a lot of work to do to promote more job growth and reach our goal of helping create 250,000 private sector jobs in four years.  The national job figures remind us that we can not rest after one month of good news; while there will be ups and downs along the way, we must help lead the nation to recovery. 

 

As more Wisconsinites enter the workforce we must continue to focus on job growth and creating more opportunities for Wisconsin families.

This is of course good news for the state but also for the prospects of Republican senators who face recall elections on August 9.

Correction: This article originally stated that unemployment rate dropped to 7.4%. It actually rose to 7.6%.