The state Department of Workforce Development recently reported that Wisconsin had 2,731,000 nonfarm jobs in December, on a seasonally adjusted basis.
New Gov. Scott Walker, who was sworn in on Jan. 3, is pushing for several initiatives to improve the business climate. He says his agenda will result in the creation of 250,000 jobs in the state by the end of his first four-year term in office.
Now that Walker is in office the jobs meter is running. Based on the December state Department of Workforce Development report, which is subject to a final revision, nonfarm payrolls in the state will need to grow to 2,981,000, on a seasonally adjusted basis, by the end of 2014 for Walker to fulfill his jobs promise.
Since his inauguration Walker has been pushing the Republican-controlled state Legislature, which he called into special session, to adopt a series of tax cuts and regulatory and tort reforms. Several bills have already been signed by Walker.
“We look forward to partnering with the legislature to implement these and other legislation that will open Wisconsin for business,” Walker said.
Walker also wants to transform the state Department of Commerce into the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., a public-private partnership that would be focused solely on job creation. Regulatory duties currently assigned to the Department of Commerce would be assigned to other departments, or will be eliminated.
“Our first goal for the state has to be job creation, but our current government structure does not reflect job growth as a priority,” Walker said. “Transforming the Department of Commerce will align state government with our most important mission: creating jobs.”
The state lost 1,200 jobs in December, on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Department of Workforce Development. However, the state’s unemployment rate dipped to 7.5 percent in December from 7.6 percent in November, on a seasonally adjusted basis, and remains well below the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.
