An early 2011 jump in Maine employment numbers that state officials maintained never actually happened has disappeared now that the federal government has verified estimates with actual company data.
The January 2011 figures from the federal government showed a massive spike in the number of employed people, followed in February by a big drop. The federal estimates typically are “benchmarked” with company data more than a year later.
That has happened, and January 2011’s employment numbers dropped by about 8,000 jobs, effectively wiping out that jump.
The numbers became an issue earlier this year when the Maine Center for Economic Policy looked at the data and suggested that Maine lost more jobs per capita in 2011 than any other state in the nation. The center’s report took into account the high January 2011 numbers, compared to December 2011.
The new data, released this week by the U.S. Department of Labor, detail benchmarked numbers from October 2010 through June 2011.
“Those are good, real, hard numbers,” said Glen Mills, director of economic research at the Maine Department of Labor’s Center for Workforce Research & Information.
Months after June 2011 will be benchmarked a year from now, he said.
The last bit of data that spans for a year and contains benchmarked employment numbers would be from June 2010 to June 2011, said Mills. In June 2010, there were 592,500 people employed in Maine, compared with 591,900 in June 2011, a drop of 600.
From a statistical standpoint, that’s essentially flat, Mills said.
“It’s so close, there’s effectively no difference,” Mills said.
In a release this week, the Maine Center for Economic Policy pointed out the new federal data “confirm that Maine lagged behind most other states in per capita job growth in 2011.” The state, the release noted, lost 1,300 jobs from January 2011 to December 2011. A total of nine states lost jobs during this period, and Maine ranked 45th in per-capita job growth.
“The revised jobs data confirms that Maine has not performed as well as other states in the last year,” MECEP Executive Director Garrett Martin said in the release. “The final [Bureau of Labor Statistics] figures also bring into sharper focus the need for the state to act decisively to encourage stronger job creation.
“One immediate action the Legislature can take before it adjourns next month is to pass a robust bond package for transportation, public works and communications infrastructure, education, research and development, small business loans and other investments that will create jobs and improve Maine’s competitive edge,” Martin said.
Mills, however, noted that the only benchmarked numbers end in June 2011. The December 2011 numbers cited by MECEP aren’t yet benchmarked with hard data, he said.
Ten years of tax breaks for the rich, no job creators. Open for business sign, made in Texas, no jobs here. Republican House, Senate, and Governor, no jobs here. Huge increases in income for the rich in Maine, no jobs here.
I got it! Lower taxes on the rich, get rid of environmental protections, let insurance companies charge anything they like, and lower taxes on the rich, while at the same time lowering taxes on the rich. The only thing we could do better is to lower taxes on the rich.
I forgot! Some people in Maine still get a reasonable pay for Union work. Break the Unions, cut their pay, increase profits, and then lower taxes on the rich. Now that is a complete Republican solution.
If it doesn’t work…………………say it……………..lower taxes on the rich.
Ho! What’s this? Where are all the jobs- trapped in your tea bag??
Maine has lost thousands of jobs this past year under LePage. Yet the figures say employment is flat? No new companies have moved to Maine. Maybe they are counting the increase in Maine Drug Dealers as Small Business job creation.
As they are claiming through unemployment that the state level has gone below the critical amount. How could it go down if there isn’t an increase on jobs?
PROPAGANDA FROM YOUR STATE GOVERNMENT ! we are just maine mushrooms, they keep us in the dark and feed us shite !
just a way to clear up unemployment by cutting people’s eligibility. Then what? They go apply for welfare, food stamps, section 8 housing, and mainecare which are already so corrupt that the wrong people are getting those benefits. I’m a believer of TOTAL Government overhaul from local, state, and federal government. We have the oldest constitution and also have gone the longest without overhauling it. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the constitution, I just feel that when it was written, the view of the future wasn’t as it is today. Don’t think they were thinking that the right to bear arms would lead to gangs on the streets killing each other over drugs that weren’t even around back then. To me, I feel both political parties have gone past trying to do good for the people and now its all about who can gain the power and change what the previous party did. All a power trip!!
I couldnt agree MORE ! WELL SAID !
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Face it, the LaPlague administration with the repugnacant majority in the legislature have been a total failure! The only sucess they have had is ramming down the anti-worker, anti-people agenda from MHPC and ALEC. Nothing else. Nada. Zip. Zero.
So much for the “Great Job Creator”!