Readjustments chip away at 2013 gains

The results of the state's latest monthly jobs report moved in the wrong direction when it comes to Gov. Scott Walker's promise to create 250,000 private sector jobs.

As usual at this time of year, the report contained considerable revisions -- called "benchmarking" -- to the monthly employment reports from 2013.

The monthly reports are estimates based on surveys of about 3 percent of state employers. Over time, more reliable data becomes available. Last year, benchmarking saw 14,100 jobs added to the monthly tallies for 2012.

The revisions for 2013 smoothed out the peaks and a couple of valleys in several months.

In January, an increase of 12,400 jobs was erased. The January number is now a negative 1,200 jobs. Similarly, a loss of 20,800 jobs in April -- the largest single monthly jobs decline in years -- was pared back to a loss of only 5,600.

In the end, the changes put the state's 2013 private sector job creation at an estimated 39,700, down from the initial estimate of 43,900. That's 4,200 fewer than were listed before.

Meanwhile, the report showed no net change -- up or down -- for January of 2014.

More accurate numbers come from a quarterly survey that involves 96 percent of state businesses. The final figure for 2013 will be available in late spring.

With three years in the books, the state has added an estimated 103,372 private sector jobs.

That's less than half of the way to Walker's promise that the state would add 250,000 jobs by the end of his four year term. To reach that, the state would have to add more than 13,000 jobs in each of the remaining months of this year.

This promise remains In the Works.