An editorial in yesterday’s Nashua Telegraph highlights New Hampshire’s economic strength compared to the rest of the country and to itself earlier in the year.
Some facts: New Hampshire was 2nd in the nation in overall job growth, and has recovered 15,000 of the 30,000 jobs lost in W’s Great Recession. The state’s unemployment rate dropped from 7% in January 2010 to 5.4% in November, with the national at 9.8%.
The Democratically controlled state legislature passed Governor Lynch’s New Hampshire Working initiative last spring
The new law encourages companies to reduce the hours of workers instead of laying them off – the state makes up a portion of the lost wages with unemployment benefits – and empowers state agencies to conduct a skills assessment of the newly unemployed that they can use when looking for a new job. The unemployed also can continue receiving benefits for up to six weeks while training with a potential new employer.
This good outlook has been brought to you by Democratic majorities in the state House of Representatives, State Senate, and Executive Council and a Democratic Governor.
Remember that when the Republicans take credit, if they manage to keep this positive momentum. Will “cut till it bleeds” budgeting, deregulation, ending public kindergarten, plus a nineteenth century social agenda help, hurt or have no bearing on the recovery here?
Time will tell.
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