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More positive news in August numbers, but revision gives July a small drop
Three steps forward, one step back. That's the best way to view the latest report on private-sector job creation in Wisconsin.
The state's job count increased in August, a figure that was offset by revised figures for the month of July, the state reported Sept. 19, 2013.
The end result was positive news when it comes to Gov. Scott Walker's efforts to meet his campaign promise to create 250,000 private-sector jobs by the end of his four-year term.
The report said the state added an estimated 7,300 private sector jobs in August. However, the same report revised the count for July down by 1,900 jobs. The preliminary report for July had showed an increase of 1,800 jobs, so the revision put the count for that month in the red by 100.
That put a small negative blip in what has otherwise been a strong summer for job creation, according to the state reports. Between May and August, the state added 35,400 jobs, the reports say.
That string of increases, however, came after an unusually large decline in April, where reports showed the state losing 20,800 private-sector jobs.
The August report is based on preliminary estimates from a small sample size that are subject to considerable revision. The monthly reports are among the tools we use to monitor Walker's jobs promise. For our tally we use a combination of the best available annual and monthly data supplied by the state and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
So let's tally up.
The latest numbers put the number of jobs created since Walker took office at 89,882. That's a little more than a third of the way toward his goal of 250,000 jobs. (You can see our month-by-month graphic here)
Put another way, for Walker to meet his promise, the state must add 160,118 jobs in 16 months, or an average of about 10,000 jobs a month. This promise remains In the Works.
Our Sources
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, August 2013 jobs report, Sept. 19, 2013