Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Chair of the Joint Economic Committee [JEC], released the following statement on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April jobs report showing that the unemployment rate increased to 9.9% and 290,000 total nonfarm jobs were added:
“The job growth in April builds on progress from last month and is the strongest job creation we’ve seen since March 2006. In the past two months, the economy has added more than a half million jobs, with more than 400,000 of those in the private sector. The April jobs report provides more evidence that the actions taken by Democrats in Congress are working and the economy is recovering.
However, the increase in the unemployment rate makes clear that we will need stronger economic growth in the months ahead to regain the 8.4 million jobs lost during the recession and to put all unemployed Americans back to work. The unemployment increase is due to new entrants and re-entrants to the labor force, a sign of increased optimism about job prospects. The labor force increased by 805,000 in April. Since reaching a low in December, the labor force participation rate has increased in each of the last four months.
While we have made significant progress in the past 15 months, Congress must take additional actions to boost employment, including expanding lending to small businesses and strengthening job training for workers. We need to keep our eye on the ball, which is jobs, jobs, jobs.” [emphasis added]
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