MADISON — Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the May jobs report. In that report, the Bureau announced that 431,000 jobs were created last month, including 41,000 private-sector jobs. As a result of that job creation, the unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent. As those numbers illustrate, national job growth is now a continuing trend, stemming in large part from bold Administration actions including the Recovery Act, tax credits for working Americans, extended unemployment benefits, and hiring incentives. Those actions are putting money into the pockets of middle-class Americans and fueling economic recovery and job growth. Over the next several weeks and months, President Obama and Democrats in Congress will seek to build on those efforts with additional recovery legislation, including by extending unemployment benefits for several more months, providing critical assistance to states, and expanding job-creating tax credits.
In response to the news on May’s jobs numbers, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate issued the following statement:
“Today’s job numbers tell the story of the good news that echoed last month through hundreds of thousands of American households as mothers and fathers here in Wisconsin and across the country were able to return to the workplace after a period of unemployment. In Wisconsin we’ve seen a reduction in unemployment, with rates falling across the state in April. Although our national unemployment rate remains far too high, we are beginning to emerge from the catastrophic recession of the last two years. Even as we do, President Obama and Democrats remain committed to doing everything possible to promote continued economic growth and job creation.
“It is simply not possible to replace the 8 million jobs lost in the economic fall-out of the recession overnight. However, today’s numbers illustrate that our country is now moving in the right direction, in large part due to the decisive actions taken by President Obama and Democrats in Congress to promote economic recovery. We have come a long way from one year ago, and our economy continues to improve. In the coming weeks and months, Democrats in Washington will work to solidify that improvement. I hope that Republicans in Congress can finally be counted on to put away their destructive economic policies of the past and join with Democrats in cementing positive growth.”
