A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report that ranked Wisconsin 40th in the nation for job growth for the one year period from September of 2013 to September of 2014 might lead you to believe that Wisconsin is headed down the wrong economic track. Governor Walker’s detractors have used the ranking against him to inaccurately argue that the Governor’s conservative economic and anti-union policies are not working for the state. This is simply untrue.
Using the BLS data for the full four years Scott Walker has been Governor, I wrote an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal yesterday titled, A Closer Look at Scott Walker’s Record on Jobs. Here’s the takeaway: After four years with Scott Walker as Governor, more Wisconsinites are employed and at a higher percentage of the population than when he took office. In fact, Wisconsin has outperformed the national averages with respect to its employment-population ratio, its unemployment rate, and its labor participation rate. Its standing among the states has also improved with respect to each of these key metrics. Imagine what the national numbers would look like if the Obama Administration could boast the same metrics?