Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken today released figures showing that Texas created more private sector jobs than any other state in the nation over the last 10 years and has the lowest unemployment rate among the 10 largest states in the nation. Pauken cited the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics January 22, 2010 release of Current Employment Statistics for December 2009 showing Texas created 724,300 more net private sector jobs as compared to December 1999, the largest private sector job gain nationwide over the last decade.
Pauken also noted that among the 10 largest states as ranked by civilian labor force size, Texas was well ahead of all other large states in private sector job growth with a percentage net gain of 9.30 percent as compared to December 1999. Florida was the only other large state to realize a net gain in private sector employment over the same period with 259,500 net jobs gained for a percentage net gain of 4.31 percent from December 1999 to December 2009. The other 8 large states showed a net loss of private sector jobs over the same period.
Nationally, over the last decade, the private sector experienced a net employment loss of 1.408 percent or 1,549,000 jobs lost.
While these are obviously difficult economic times even in Texas, it is important to recognize what happens when a state has economic policies which encourage private sector job creation,” said Pauken. “While the rest of the nation has only seen net growth in government jobs, Texas’ business, tax, and economic policies have created an environment where businesses can succeed and create the jobs that will allow Texas to lead our nation out of this national recession.”
For December, Texas showed the lowest overall seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of large states at 8.3 percent, compared to 10 percent nationally. Comparing the other of the two largest states, California’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was over four percentage points higher than Texas at 12.4 percent. Over the last decade, California saw a net decline in private sector employment of 2.72 percent. “When Texas faced declining revenues in 2003, Gov. Perry and the Legislature cut spending rather than raise taxes or run massive government deficits to finance government growth as they did in Washington and in states like California,” said Pauken.
“Our nation cannot continue to spend its way out of the recession by incurring ever increasing amounts of government debt. The debt bubble is already hurting our nation’s efforts to grow private sector jobs and decrease unemployment. That’s why states with large amounts of debt like California are performing markedly worse than low debt states like Texas in both unemployment and private sector job creation.”
Pauken concluded, “For more than a year now I have been warning that Washington policymakers have failed to develop an economic policy designed to encourage capital investment and private sector job creation here in the United States. We need to act quickly in order to avoid a jobless recovery. Let’s put Americans back to work.”
Private Sector Job Growth in 10 Largest States
from 12/99 to 12/09
| STATE | Dec. 1999 | Dec. 2009 | Difference | percent change |
| California | 12,081,500 | 11,753,200 | -328,300 | -2.72% |
| Texas | 7,790,000 | 8,514,300 | 724,300 | 9.30% |
| New York | 7,206,400 | 7,131,200 | -75,200 | -1.04% |
| Florida | 6,026,100 | 6,285,600 | 259,500 | 4.31% |
| Illinois | 5,225,600 | 4,783,000 | -442,600 | -8.47% |
| Pennsylvania | 4,957,100 | 4,871,900 | -85,200 | -1.72% |
| Ohio | 4,897,700 | 4,322,700 | -575,000 | -11.74% |
| Michigan | 3,988,800 | 3,208,500 | -780,300 | -19.56% |
| Georgia | 3,354,600 | 3,170,000 | -184,600 | -5.50% |
| New Jersey | 3,393,500 | 3,282,900 | -110,600 | -3.26% |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics
