Wisconsin lags in jobs, while Gov. Walker defends his job-creation record

Gov. promised 250,000 jobs in first four
years, he’s hat 168,000 after five

MADISON, Wis. — Scott Walker is defending his job-creation record as governor, even as Wisconsin continues lagging the national average. 

That latest figured from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday shows Wisconsin ranked 36th nationally in private-sector job creation for 2015.

In the first five years with Walker as governor, Wisconsin has added just over 168,000 jobs. Walker promised to add 250,000 jobs in four years. 

Walker defended his record Wednesday, saying that he never made any promises about state rankings. And he notes that all the jobs lost during the recession have been recovered and Wisconsin’s job participation rate is higher than the national average. 

He says Democratic state lawmakers calling for a special session on job creation have “no credibility on that issue” and are being hypocritical.