Some disappointing job numbers. The state lost ground in private sector job creation in the year ending in June, dropping from 32nd to 37th place. Bad news for Governor Scott Walker but even worse news for Wisconsin families, in the view of Assembly Minority Leader, Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha).

“It’s the people of Wisconsin that are hurting, and I believe the legislature and the governor need to do far more,” said Barca. “We need to be far more aggressive, for more creative, far more bold in what we’re doing.”

Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show private sector job growth in Wisconsin between June 2012 and June 2013 grew by just 1 percent, ranking it just below Mississippi and just ahead of New Hampshire. Walker promised to create 250,000 new jobs during his first term as governor.

Walker said Tuesday that reforms he pushed through in 2011 have taken effect, the state is looking more attractive to job creators. “Employers who have purposely come or looked to come to Wisconsin have said ‘this is a state that’s got their act together,’ particularly in contrary to Illinois,” Walker said.

In the past, Walker has asserted that the state’s economic performance has been hamstrung by uncertainty out of Washington and a sluggish national recovery. “Those arguments never made any sense, because every state is equally affected by the recession and what happens with the federal government,” Barca said.

 

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