Wisconsin Job Losses Highest in Nation for Last 12 Months, Federal Report Says
What the paleo libertarian right forgets is that public jobs are jobs too, and some of them are really necessary for the public good. Cutting too deep into public sector can turn your state into a hellhole that nobody wants to visit or live in. Sates that fail to service parks, roads, schools, prisons, libraries, etc etc. quickly turn into those leading the nation in bad stats.
Wisconsin saw the largest percentage decrease in employment in the nation during the 12 months ending in March, a new report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
During that time period, while 27 states and the District of Columbia saw significant job increases, only Wisconsin saw “statistically significant” job losses, the report said.
From March 2011 to March 2012, the state lost 23,900 jobs, for the country’s largest percentage decrease, at 0.9 percent.
Of the 23,900 jobs lost in Wisconsin in that period, 17,900 were from the public sector and 6,000 were from the private sector, according to the BLS. (Note: Jobs and unemployment rate data in the BLS report for all the states and D.C. refers to non-farm employment.)
Wisconsin also had the third-worst employment losses for March compared to the previous month, with 4,500 fewer jobs than it had in February, the report said. Only Ohio and New Jersey were worse, with 9,500 and 8,600 fewer jobs, respectively.