Governor Scott Walker: Going His Own Way

In an August 31st E-update, Governor Scott Walker boasts that according to the federally verified statistics Wisconsin created 37,464 jobs from March 2011 to March 2012.

I'm still trying to figure out how this seemingly apples-to-oranges comparison, i.e., 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics and 2012 WorkNet data, is supposed to add up to 37,464.

A table published in the June 28, 2012 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ("Jobs data now official: Wisconsin gains but lags behind most states") notes that Wisconsin's private sector job growth has lagged behind most other states.

The statistical information from the latest U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary (reissued 8/31/2012) paints a different picture, as it includes public sector employment.

An excerpt from the report in bullet points: In July 2012, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 30 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 20 states. 

The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in 

• California (+25,200), followed by 
• Michigan (+21,800) and 
• Virginia (+21,300). 

The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in 

• New Jersey (-12,000), followed by 
• Missouri (-7,700) and 
• Illinois (-7,100).

...the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment 

• Vermont (+0.8 percent), followed by 
• Virginia (+0.6 percent) and the 
• District of Columbia, Hawaii, Kansas, and Michigan (+0.5 percent each). 

...the largest over-the-month percentage decline in employment

• Alaska  (-1.0 percent), followed by 
• Idaho, New Hampshire, and South Dakota (-0.4 percent each). 

Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 9 states. 

The largest over-the-year percentage increase occurred in 

• North Dakota (+6.8 percent), followed by 
• California (+2.6 percent) and Oklahoma (+2.4 percent). 

The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in 

• Rhode Island (-1.6 percent), followed by 
• Wisconsin (-0.8 percent) and 
• Alaska and Missouri (-0.5 percent each).

Then there's this report.

Which notes that Wisconsin has lost 19,200 jobs since June 1, 2012.

And remember this schizophrenic approach to headline writing?

Print

Online.

The bottom line is that Wisconsin has experienced a net decrease of 27,000 jobs since December 2010.  Governor Scott Walker took the oath of office on January 3, 2011.