News
Stimulus job count depends on spin
Politicians are straining to convince people the government is stimulating the economy.
In Oregon, where lawmakers are spending $176 million to supplement the federal stimulus, Democrats are taking credit for a remarkable feat: creating 3,236 new jobs in the program's first three months.
But those jobs lasted on average only 35 hours, or about one workweek.
July 27, 2009
by Ryan Kost
in The Daily Reporter
Portland, OR - Politicians are straining to convince people the government is stimulating the economy.
In Oregon, where lawmakers are spending $176 million to supplement the federal stimulus, Democrats are taking credit for a remarkable feat: creating 3,236 new jobs in the program's first three months.
But those jobs lasted on average only 35 hours, or about one workweek. After that, those workers were effectively back unemployed, according to an Associated Press analysis of state spending and hiring data. By the state's accounting, a job is a job, whether it lasts three hours, three days, three months or a lifetime.
"Sometimes, some work... [continue via Web link]
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