WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Vice Chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported nonfarm payroll employment grew by 263,000 in April and the unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage point to 3.6 percent. Average hourly earnings grew 3.2 percent from the prior year.
“I’m pleased that our economy continues to create jobs and opportunities for Americans almost a decade after the Great Recession ended. That progress is resulting in lower unemployment and wage gains as more Americans enter the labor market or find better paying jobs.”
“But much more needs to be done to reduce the inequality that holds back too many people and limits our country’s economic potential. The black unemployment rate is more than double the rate among whites, and there are still 1.2 million people who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer. The share of women working or seeking work remains below pre-recession levels and falls short of countries like Canada and Great Britain, where governments have paid family-leave policies.”
“That’s why it’s so important for us to pass a law that would allow workers to take paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child or to care for a sick family member. I also urge Congress to approve legislation that would require the Bureau of Economic Analysis to report economic growth by income decile and the top 1 percent. That would allow us to track changes in inequality to ensure all Americans benefit from our country’s economic growth.”
Congresswoman Maloney in March introduced the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (H.R. 1534) that would provide 12 weeks of paid family leave for federal workers. FEPLA would guarantee paid leave for all instances covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act, which currently guarantees only unpaid leave. She also introduced the Measuring Real Income Growth Act (H.R. 707) this Congress and in the 115th Congress. The legislation would require BEA to publish distributional analyses of gross domestic product.
Press contact
Randy Woods
Randy_Woods@jec.senate.gov
(202) 224-2599
