Just a day after presidential candidate Scott Walker was in Washington D.C. addressing a U.S. Chamber of Commerce forum on small business growth, and as Walker headed to Arkansas for a campaign fundraising event, the business advocacy organization released its annual Enterprising States report that shows Wisconsin ranked dead last in short-term job growth and 44thin the nation in overall economic performance.
The study measured overall economic performance, analyzing five policy areas including exports and trade, innovation, talent, infrastructure and business climate, as well as the role of state policies and programs in fostering small business growth.
Wisconsin’s dead last ranking in short-term job growth isn’t the only bad news in the report — the Chamber’s disturbing findings show Wisconsin ranked 45th in the nation in long-term job growth and 47th in the nation in new business start-ups.
Last month, the most accurate federal jobs numbers available showed Wisconsin ranked 44th in the nation in job growth, down from 11th in the nation when Walker took office.
View Wisconsin’s rankings in the Chamber study here.
“As Scott Walker traipses all over the country campaigning for president, Wisconsin continues to be on the receiving end of bad economic news because of his failure to invest in education, infrastructure and jobs training programs,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Wednesday. “Maybe now that even his supporters at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are highlighting the way his failed policies are harming Wisconsin’s economic performance, Scott Walker will pay more attention to Wisconsin jobs than to his next one.” 