Gov. Walker’s 111,000 jobs deficit

MADISON, WI – Not only has Gov. Walker failed to deliver on his jobs promise, but a new report shows his economic policies have contributed to a 111,000 jobs deficit in Wisconsin. The report by the Center for American Progress found that Wisconsin would have added an additional 111,000 jobs had the state simply kept pace with the national rate of job growth.

“Gov. Walker has a jobs problem and Wisconsin families are paying the price,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse). “Over the last six years, Republicans have cut wages, outsourced jobs and stripped away worker rights. Rather than growing our middle class and investing in Wisconsin jobs, Gov. Walker continues to prioritize tax breaks for the wealthy and massive giveaways to foreign corporations.”

Job creation in Wisconsin has declined sharply since Gov. Walker took office. The state dropped below average for job creation in 2011 and has trailed the national rate in every economic quarter since the creation of Gov. Walker’s Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and the historic Republican cuts to Wisconsin schools. Wisconsin’s sluggish job growth over the past six years has resulted in 111,000 fewer jobs than what would have been created had the state kept pace with the national average.

“Gov. Walker has been a miserable failure at fulfilling his promises to create jobs. The real life consequences of poor policy decisions are beginning to take effect,” stated Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh). “Rather than attacking workers’ rights and cutting wages, we should be investing in Wisconsin by funding education, fixing our roads, and supporting recreation. By any meaningful economic metric, Wisconsin has underperformed the national average. In fact, median wages, when adjusted for inflation are lower now than they were in 2010. The jobs deficit highlighted in this report will only get worse until we start prioritizing Wisconsin families over corporate interests.”

In addition to disappointing job figures, Wisconsin has ranked poorly on a range of economic metrics and many middle class families continue to struggle financially. Under Republican control, Wisconsin has ranked dead-last in business start-up activity for three consecutive years and the median wage for Wisconsin workers is lower today than in 2010 when adjusted for inflation.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.