Gov. Doyle: U.S. Department of Labor Statistics Show Wisconsin Has Most Employment Growth in the Midwest
5/4/2004

Contact:
Jessica Erickson, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156

Governor's 'Grow Wisconsin' Initiatives Helping Strengthen Wisconsin's Economy

Governor Jim Doyle announced today that in the past 12 months, Wisconsin has experienced the most employment growth in the Midwest, according to statistics recently released by the United States Department of Labor.

"I'm pleased that Wisconsin is leading the way in employment growth," Governor Doyle said. "Our strategy of focusing on upgrading our industries and competing at the high end is making an impact. We still have more to do, and there are still troubling signs in the national economy, but it is clear we are making progress."

Since March 2003, Wisconsin has added 34,800 jobs - a 1.3 percent increase and the highest numerical and percentage increase in the Midwest. Comparatively, Minnesota added 18,100 jobs (.7 percent increase), and Indiana added 23,100 jobs (.8 percent increase), while Illinois lost 11,300 jobs (.2 percent decrease), and Michigan lost 42,200 jobs (1 percent decrease).

"We've made a lot of progress since I took office, but we have much more to do," Governor Doyle said. "As I said in my State of the State Address in January, we're back on track, but we're not out of the woods yet. I will continue to work to get our economy moving again."

In his first six months in office, Governor Doyle confronted a $3.2 billion deficit - the largest fiscal crisis in Wisconsin history - and kept his promise to balance the budget without raising any taxes. Since that time, he has focused his energy on putting Wisconsin's economy on track to create new jobs. And he has delivered - signing important legislation ranging from regulatory reform, to the single factor tax reform bill, to a measure that expands access to venture capital.

In fact, the vast majority of the bills Governor Doyle called for in his "Grow Wisconsin" plan last September have been signed into law. They include:

* The most aggressive regulatory reform in the Midwest
* Venture capital legislation
* Financial Modernization
* Funding for Wisconsin's Manufacturing Extension Partnership programs
* Single sales factor tax reform legislation
* Legislation to expand broadband and telecommunications services in our state
* Expanding access to technology zone tax credits

View the full U.S. Department of Labor report here: http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/metro.t02.htm