Gov. Walker Radio Address: Wisconsin's Economic Outlook: Positive

The state has partnered with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association to produce and distribute brief radio address from Gov. Scott Walker once a week.  Audio files and a written transcript of this radio address can be accessed online. To download an mp3 file you can visit Walker's website, right click the radio address link and click “save link as.”

Here is the transcript from this Thursday’s radio address, which is titled Wisconsin’s Economic Outlook: Positive.

Hi. I'm Scott Walker.

Wisconsin’s economy is continuing to turn around.  In the first two months of this year we’ve added over 17,000 private sector jobs.  Our unemployment rate is 6.9 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2008.

The outlook for the future is looking better too.  But, you don’t have to take my word for it—just last week the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank released a new economic growth forecast for states and it was the best forecast for our state since 2003.  Wisconsin also experienced the most improved forecast in the nation.  

Beyond the Fed study, the Tax Foundation recently released a new report, which ranked Wisconsin 4th in the country for the most favorable environment for new job creators.  Wisconsin easily outranks our neighboring states.  Some of the changes made during the January 2011 Jobs Special Session contributed to Wisconsin’s favorable rating.  

Our actions have also had a positive effect on Wisconsinites looking for work—this year the total number of new unemployment claims declined by almost one-fourth when compared to the first full 11 weeks of 2010.

We’re also seeing a continued increase in the number of open and available jobs.  Last year, we had a record 151,000 job postings on JobCenterofWisconsin.com, and the totals for this year are over 15.6 percent higher than where the numbers were at this point in 2011.

Wisconsin’s positive economic outlook is good news for those seeking work and employers considering an expansion in our state.  We’ll continue to work hard to improve the economy in Wisconsin and keep jobs our top priority.