(TRENTON) – Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee Chair Albert Coutinho (D-Essex) released the following statement on Wednesday following the Assembly Budget Committee’s hearing on the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development:
“The testimony we heard today was constructive, but there are still many concerns about the state of our economy, especially in light of the most recent jobs report by the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The governor is not doing enough to improve the labor market and the numbers prove it. The so-called NJ Comeback is good spin, but that’s all it is.
“The state lost 8,600 jobs in March, marking the first decline in job growth in New Jersey since August, and the unemployment rate is still at 9 percent, well above the national rate of 8.2 percent. The state lost 11,600 private sector jobs, the most since the recession ended in June 2009. These figures are dismal and demand that we work better together if we’re going to really mobilize the economy.
“The governor should work with the Legislature to pass the back to work bills pushed by Democrats in the Assembly, and accelerate infrastructure investment, including a fully implemented school construction program, to create jobs and get our people working again.”