New figures released by the state Department of Workforce Development show Wisconsin added over 32,000 private sector jobs in 2012, bringing the total jobs created under Governor Walker’s first two years in office to over 62,000.
Walker pledged to help the private sector created 250,000 jobs during his first term in office.
The figures are from data submitted to the federal government for a national quarterly report on job trends. The report is said to be the most accurate reflection of US employment, but there’s a lag of several months by the time it comes out. As a result, it does not get nearly as much publicity as the monthly job reports, which rely on much smaller samples of employers.
As it has for the past year, Wisconsin released its numbers before the national report comes out. Critics say that makes it difficult to see how the state is doing in comparison to others.
State Workforce Development Secretary Reggie Newson said Wisconsin had the biggest two-year increase in jobs in over a decade. However, the last national quarterly report showed that most other states were creating jobs at a much faster pace. Wisconsin ranked 44th among the 50 states in jobs created between September of 2011 and September of last year.