30,383 "saved or created" jobs thanks to stimulus

[red states rule]

OMG is the NY Times desperate to try and put a happy face on the current US economy

Unemployment near 10%, and we are to be pleased over 30,383 "saved or created" jobs?

BTW, does anyone know how a jobs is tagged saved besides Obama or someone in the administration saying so?

Alos note the cost per job to the taxpayer. Gotta love that hope and change folks!




Job Program Found to Miss Many States That Need It Most


Businesses with federal stimulus contracts have created few jobs in states with the worst unemployment rates, according to data released Thursday by the federal government.

The new jobs reported Thursday come from a small slice of a sliver of the $787 billion stimulus program: the roughly $16 billion worth of stimulus contracts that were awarded directly by federal agencies, of which about $2.2 billion has been spent so far. But the preliminary data represented the first time that the federal government has reported actual job figures, and not just job estimates, and they provided the most complete snapshot yet of how one component of the sprawling program — direct federal contracts — was shaping up.

One thing was clear: while the federal contracts have created or saved 30,383 jobs, they were not directed to states with the highest jobless rates. Businesses in Michigan, whose 15.2 percent unemployment rate in August was the highest in the nation, reported creating or saving about 400 jobs. Businesses in Nevada, which had the next highest unemployment rate, reported 159. And businesses in Rhode Island, which had the third-highest unemployment rate, 12.8 percent, reported the fewest jobs: just six.

More jobs, by contrast, were reported in some of the states with lowest unemployment rates. Businesses in North Dakota, whose 4.3 percent unemployment rate was the lowest in the nation, reported creating or saving 219. The most jobs were reported in Colorado, whose 7.3 percent unemployment rate was below the national average that reached 9.8 percent last month, and where businesses reported creating or saving 4,695 jobs.

for the complete article

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/us/16stimulus.html?_r=1&ref=us

[flaja]

I heard on the news last Friday that Florida’s unemployment rate is a 35-year high of 11%.

I read in the paper this morning that the country has to produce 110,000 new jobs every month just to keep up with population growth.

[red states rule]

I heard on the news last Friday that Florida’s unemployment rate is a 35-year high of 11%.

I read in the paper this morning that the country has to produce 110,000 new jobs every month just to keep up with population growth.

I only the Dems would spend as much time trying to encourage private sector jobs, as they have trying to take over the nations healthcare system, attack Fox News, and trying to destroy Rush Limbaugh

[red states rule]

Now it looks clear the White House can't report their own numbers accurately. Anyone surprised?



On stimulus jobs reporting, a big 'Oops'

Error in Recovery Act accounting raises doubts about government's ability to precisely track the flow of funds and jobs.



NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Gaffes in federal reports this week about stimulus have called into question the government's ability to accurately track how many jobs are being created by the massive $787 billion Recovery Act.

The data in Thursday's reports were filled with mistakes, including an error that made it look like a French vaccine maker received the largest stimulus contract, $1.4 billion, when in fact it has gotten an award one-100th the size.

Government research organization OMB Watch said its assessment of the reports revealed many inconsistencies in the job data.

"The data is rife with mistakes," said Craig Jennings, senior federal fiscal policy analyst at OMB Watch. "When you put out data that hasn't yet been checked, it undermines transparency, because you are putting out wrong information."

According to the Recovery Board, a non-profit, government-funded organization that operates stimulus data tracker recovery.gov, the government expected mistakes and is reviewing reports of them.

Uncovering how many jobs stimulus created is critical to the debate about the Recovery Act's value. Critics argue that the mammoth funding simply represents more government spending and is not effectively being used to create jobs. But proponents say stimulus is a crucial shot in the arm for the economy, and that the labor market would have fallen further without it.

"Understanding how many jobs are created will answer the very fair and important question, 'What return on our investment are we getting?' " said Christopher Mihm, the Government Accountability Office's managing director of strategic issues.

But the enormity of the stimulus bill leaves some experts saying it will be impossible to accurately portray the data. The sheer size of the reporting is dumbfounding: Tens of thousands of recipients will file reports after receiving stimulus funds from one of 28 government umbrella agencies, or from one of countless agencies from the 50 states.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/16/news/economy/stimulus_jobs/index.htm?postversion=2009101616