HOUSTON, TEXAS–According to new statistics from the Labor Department, 16,000 new people sought U.S. unemployment benefits. This brought the seasonally adjusted figure to 326,000. In addition, the national employment holds at 6.7 percent. Meanwhile in Texas, the job market is booming and companies are expanding at a rapid rate.
Texas Governor Rick Perry said the state is home to a thriving job market due to business-friendly policies and a predictable regulatory climate.
Perry told Breitbart Texas, “We’ve been below the national average of unemployment for over 80 months. We have 1,000 plus people moving into the state per day. So even with the influx of people moving to Texas, we’ve been able to absorb them and to keep as many people employed as we can.”
According to the most recent statistics from the State of Texas, the state’s unemployment rate stands around 5.7 percent. Furthermore, as Breitbart Texas previously pointed out, the state’s sales tax collections have continued to increase for 47 straight months. The booming oil and natural gas industry has undoubtedly helped increase sales tax collections, but so have retail sales. All factors indicate that Texans have been successful in acquiring jobs that are providing them with excess money to spend.
Nationally, however, the economic outlook is not so bright. According to an April 4 jobs report, an average of 183,000 jobs are being created each month; this figure is far below one that would indicate significant economic recovery, according to Politico.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said in an April 4 statement, “Nobody can be satisfied with the recent status quo. America doesn’t work when hardworking people can’t find the jobs they need to make ends meet.”
While the recent disappointing economic figures have been largely blamed on this year’s long, cold winter, Perry insists the real issue is over-regulation and over-taxation.
Perry argued that while the rest of the country is supporting weak job numbers, low taxes have helped attract both businesses and workers to his state.
“Our approach to dealing with jobs is about enhancing the quality of life,” Perry said. “One of the reasons people want to be in the state is because they can keep more of their money.”
It comes as no surprise that Texas cities dominated Wallet Hub’s new ranking of America’s best cities for job seekers. Fort Worth was named the nation’s number one city for jobs. Arlington, Dallas, Austin, and Houston also made the top ten. Wallet Hub compiled the list “using 13 unique metrics, ranging from job openings per capita and industry variety to cost of living and the prevalence of employer-provided health benefits.”
“What we’re doing in Texas is keeping America afloat,” Perry told Breitbart Texas. “I want this country to be stronger. I want California, New York, and Illinois to be vibrant and strong. But you can’t over-tax, over-regulate, and over-litigate, then expect people to stay in your state. So I hope we can have a good, thoughtful conversation about these policies.”
Perry added that Richard Fisher, Chairman of the Federal Reserve in Texas, found that if you eliminated the middle class jobs created in Texas, the entire country would be “underwater.”
“There are 50 labs of innovation,” Perry concluded. “I get it, not everyone wants to live in Texas, and that’s okay. But let’s honestly have a conversation in this country about tax, regulatory, and public school policies that have worked. Then let the people decide: [Texas’ policies] are good policies. We need to put those in place in Illinois, we need to put those in place in California. The unions cant continue to [inhibit] our ability to keep more of our money. The private sector can decide how to best spend it–not the government.”
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
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