Employment has become central to the decisive recall battle for the state's top office, and Gov. Scott Walker experienced yet another setback Thursday as state labor officials reported the state lost 5,900 jobs in April.
The new monthly data, which the state Department of Workforce Development stresses is preliminary and subject to revision, shows the state lost 6,200 private sector jobs, but added 300 government jobs, netting out at a loss of 5,900 non-farm jobs. The data was gathered through a survey of 3.5 to 5 percent of Wisconsin employers. Since December 2010, the month before Walker took office, the state has added a total of 400 jobs.
It's the second consecutive month of private sector job losses in the state.
The state's unemployment rate, however, dipped slightly from 6.8 percent in March to 6.7 percent in April. The national average in April is 8.1 percent.
Just Wednesday, he claims paint a more accurate picture of how the state’s economy is progressing — 23,321 new public and private sector jobs in his first year in office. The numbers are due to be vetted then released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor after the June 5 election.
The recall effort against Walker was largely sparked over the passage of the contentious budget bill, which curtailed collective bargaining rights for most public workers, but now the main event’s central issue has shifted to jobs.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker’s challenger in a recall election set for June 5, has hit the governor on what he calls Walker's inability to jumpstart the state's economy and to deliver on a campaign promise to create 250,000 private sector jobs.
"Gov. Walker can trot out all the alternate data he wants, but the numbers are the numbers,” he said. “Wisconsin has finished dead last in a number of job creating statistics during his tenure as governor."
Democratic Rep. Sandy Pasch of Whitefish Bay expounded on Barrett's statement: "No amount of lipstick can cover up this pig — Gov. Walker has the worst jobs record in the country. He has taken our state in the wrong direction, and his divisive and extreme policies are clearly not working for our state.”
In a statement, Department of Workforce Development Secretary Reggie Newson said the data "is in line with other indicators that show continued economic growth in the state.
"Job creators and job seekers rely on accurate workforce data when they decide to seek employment or grow their businesses in Wisconsin,” Newson said. “When a highly volatile data series diverts from other indicators of job growth — such as fewer Unemployment Insurance claims and increasing state sales and income tax collections — it creates a misleading picture that’s out of line with other indicators that show Wisconsin’s economy is headed in the right direction.”
How is Walker involved in collecting this data? I figured the guy had better things to do like try and lead a state to prosperity.
Innumeracy is rampant. We do need better schools
There would undoubtedly be a lot more jobs in Wisconsin right now if Walker hadn't rejected the 810million$ in railroad funding out of the federal stimulus. He made his bed, now he has to sleep in it.
The reality on jobs is that there are jobs out there, lots of them. Skilled employees is another issue.
The rail line would have had stops. Places where people need to eat, stay over night, rent cars . . . But no. Now we're a backwater.
Randy, it's a high speed train. The whole idea is that you don't have to spend the night or choke down a Subway sandwich at the terminal while people board and get off. If anything, assuming any significant number of people would ride it, it would have an effect along the lines of the one the nation's I system had on Route 66.
It doesn't bode well for the Democrats on June 5th. I have believed all along that, yes, Walker needs to be recalled but the timing was off by a year. Any recall should have occurred after the November general election. With the likelihood of Walker retaining the governor's mansion, I am afraid they will declare a mandate for their agenda. The only way the agenda can then be stopped is if the Democrats are lucky enough to gain full control of the state senate. What the Republicans have to worry about is the November general election when both chambers of the legislature are on the line. That's where the battle will move to and it will be proved critical to the state government.
The one thing I agree with you is using the regular Nov election to attempt to change Wi political landscape. Enough costly, and now very obvious failure of the left to wield the recall threat. Just think of the good all the millions of dollars and hours spent by both sides of these doomed causes could have done !
the Republicans have completely misread the economics and will be frustrated by continuing slow growth. The political leadership in this state is strictly amateurish and think the rest of us are idiots. It doesn't matter if it is Republicans or Democrats, you don't have a clue.
Shows how desperate and unethical the left is now that Walker is a shoo-in. Fully expect comments back about the right using "dirty tricks" too and don't disagree, but two wrongs dont make a right. You libs must be so proud of your state spokesman. Pls stop pretending you own the high ground. Shame shame shame. Facts speak for themselves,
Want to know why I'm hanging onto my IRA savings like a clam? The uncertainty about Medicare and Social Security benefit, not only for me but for my son, who is definitely in that age group that will be paying the same FICA for a lot less in return. He's going to need ever dollar I can leave him so that he doesn't starve or go without medical care in his old age.
Can you honestly say that if the shoe were on the other foot, the anti-recall folks wouldn't have made hay of this sordid affair?
And, yeah, Randy they probably would have. What does that tell you? All's fair in politics - and politics is what this is all about.
@Randy- you don't know what you're talking about! My paycheck could get cut off at any minute and I still spend like a drunken sailor. But that's just me doing my patriotic part to try and save the economy from terroristic serial savers. If it doesn't work out I'll get welfare or something.
1. Demand for their products and services 2. How much money is arriving in their bank account Right now there isn't enough demand or money because lord Walker in his infinite wisdom rejected over 800million$ in stimulus cash sent by the federal government to get our people working again, and in the process link Wisconsin to the high speed railroad thats being built across the rest of the country right now.