Washington, D.C. – The labor force recovery from the Great Recession continues, and it is occurring more quickly than the recoveries after the 2001 and 1990-1991 recessions.  While the recovery looks different across states, nearly all states have added jobs from January to November of 2010, according to figures and data included in the twelfth and final 2010 edition of the monthly state-by-state report, which was released by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) today. 

“While the private sector job gains in 2010 are encouraging, they do not change the basic reality that more than 15 million people are still out of work and living through the aftershocks of the Great Recession,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Chair of the JEC.  “This recession’s effects have been tougher on workers, families and businesses than any recession since the Great Depression.  I hope that the next Congress will build upon the measures that Democrats enacted these past two years that created jobs and spurred economic growth.”

Other key statistics from this month’s report include:

• From January to November of this year, 46 states and the District of Columbia added private- sector jobs.  During this period, private-sector employment has increased by 4 percent in the District of Columbia and by more than 2 percent in Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Arkansas, North Dakota, Louisiana and Indiana.

• The 2007-09 recession was far deeper in terms of job losses than any of the four previous recessions—national job losses were 5.3% in the 2007-09 recession versus job losses of 1.2% in the 2001 recession, 1.1% in the 1990-1991 recession, and 3.1% in the 1981-82 recession.  (See Figures 1-4 on pages 6-7.)

The report, entitled “Understanding the Economy: State-by-State Snapshots,” features key economic statistics for each state.  The report is the twelfth edition released by the JEC and uses recently released state-level data to explain how the economic recovery is unfolding in each state.

To read the executive summary of the report, which includes the figures and charts, click here.
To see individual state snapshots, click here.

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The Joint Economic Committee, established under the Employment Act of 1946, was created by Congress to review economic conditions and to analyze the effectiveness of economic policy.
www.jec.senate.gov