Milwaukee economist gives opinion about Wisconsin jobs numbers
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Charles Benson reports Video by 620wtmj.com
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MILWAUKEE- More fireworks in Wisconsin's historic recall election and it's all about new jobs numbers.
Is Wisconsin adding jobs or losing jobs?
"It kind of depends on what you look at and when you look at it in terms of what the answer is," said Bret Mayborne, the economic research director with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
He has no doubt Wisconsin added jobs last year.
"There are three primary data series to track job numbers and all three suggested there was growth in 2011," said Mayborne.
Mayborne agrees the quarterly census numbers Governor Walker is using to show the state added more than 23,000 jobs last year are more accurate.
But he also thinks the monthly employment survey that showed Wisconsin loss more than 6,000 jobs in April points to a possible trend.
"I would say we are probably losing jobs in a year over year basis right now, right now," said Mayborne.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett thinks the governor's numbers are misleading.
"It's clear the reason he is doing this is so that people will not understand that under his watch Wisconsin lost more jobs than any other state in 2011," said Barrett .
Governor Scott Walker says the facts don't lie.
"I think you are going to see they are desperately turning to anything except of discussion of the the facts and the facts are clear and the state is heading in the right to direction by adding more jobs," said Walker.
The economist at MMAC tells TODAY'S TMJ4 a recent survey of 140 businesses in the metro Milwaukee area showed the highest positive outlook since the recession.
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