WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsState jobs spike in '08 in down economy
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Madison (WKOW) -- Despite a state budget deficit and a contracting private sector, Wisconsin's state workforce grew by nearly 5,000 jobs in 2008.
Statistics released by the Department of Workforce Development show 104,000 state jobs in December 2007, but 108,900 jobs in December 2008, and increase of 4,900 jobs.
DWD statistics show declines in most private sector employment categories during the same period, including a drop in manufacturing jobs of 26,500.
Assembly Minority Leader Rep. Jeff Fitgerald (R-Horicon) told 27 News the state employment's growth was ill advised.
"I think it's kind of alarming."
During the time of the workforce increase, the state's budget deficit was so concerning lawmakers and Doyle enacted new legislation and initiated administrative steps to bring the budget into balance, including capturing planned, future payments from tobacco companies and lessening the payments' previously estimated worth.
Fitzgerald said the added jobs appear to contradict Governor Doyle's 2002 campaign pledge to return the size of the state workforce to levels of the early nineties.
"Going back to his campaign promise of cutting 10,000 jobs, and seeing we're up 5,000, obviously that's a problem."
Governor's spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner told 27 News some of the increase in the state's workforce was due to decisions outside of Doyle's control, such as job increases in the UW system.
Doyle had pushed for more state job creation in crafting the budget to operate state government in 2008, emphasizing what state officials refer to as essential positions such as prison guards.
DWD spokesperson Richard Jones said some of the added jobs were supported by federal dollars, and said the job totals were federal estimates. A Department of Administration official told 27 News specific information on what state jobs were added in 2008 was not currently available.
Statistics released by DWD show the December 2008 state workforce job total would have been higher had not 2,100 jobs been eliminated in that month.
Sensenbrenner said Doyle's current directive to state agencies will continue the attrition of state jobs, with an estimated one in every ten state positions open by the end of the current state budget this summer.
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