Report shows private sector job growth in 49 states, DC

In the last year, 49 states and the District of Columbia have gained private sector jobs, according to a new study from the Senate and House Joint Economic Committee.

The JEC’s monthly state-by-state snapshots also found that 44 states and D.C. saw real hourly wage increases in the last 12 months. The largest private sector gains were in April, with employment increasing in 36 states and D.C. and unemployment falling in 23 states and D.C.

{mosads}“These employment numbers reinforce the fact that our economy continues on the same upward trajectory it’s been on for the past several years,” the JEC’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.), said in a news release. “However, as today’s revised U.S. GDP numbers indicate there is more we must still do to grow our economy and ensure that every American who wants a job can find one.”

According to data released by the Department of Commerce on Friday, the gross domestic product shrank at an annual rate of 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2015, a stark contradiction to the 2.2 percent increase in the fourth quarter of 2014.

The Department of Commerce said the decrease reflects negative contributions from exports, nonresidential fixed investments and state and local government spending.

Maloney said the U.S. needs targeted investments — in transportation infrastructure — to lay the groundwork for future growth.

The snapshots include jobs, unemployment and earnings data at the state level through April 2015.