Dispute over Wisconsin jobs numbers continues

Jobs figures released  by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show Wisconsin lost more jobs over the past year than any other state.  These numbers come one day after Governor Walker released data showing the state gained jobs.

Governor Walker faced another month of disappointing jobs numbers when a survey of businesses showed Wisconsin lost 62 hundred jobs in April.  In the past, Walker has relied on this method of counting jobs but this week his administration released different data . It showed Wisconsin gained 23-thousand jobs over the past year.

"These are numbers we don't get to make up," he says.  "They're not estimates they are actual surveys of more than 150-thousand employers in the state they're required by law to provide that to department of workforce development."

Democratic candidate for Governor Tom Barrett points out the state data released by Walker hasn't not yet been reviewed by federal officials, and won't be until after the recall election.

"He's asking the voters of this state to trust him and to believe there will a 57-thousand job swing from the numbers reported by the federal government to the numbers he has released this week," he says.

Monthly job numbers are preliminary and often are revised later. Walker promised to create 250-thousand jobs his first term. Barrett says Walker is not on pace to do that.