The task is enormous, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is on the right track. It is launching a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to promote job growth and to focus on what the chamber sees as the dangers of government meddling in the private marketplace.
The chamber is seeking the creation of 20 million jobs over the next decade. That is the No. 1 weapon to end economic recession and prevent a full-fledged depression. Some spin doctors are declaring that The Great Recession of the past two years is nearing an end. But they are discussing a “jobless recovery” that has too many soft spots.
Many experts declare that the current recession will not be over until the nation’s unemployment rate drops below 6 percent. Right now it stands at around 10 percent, and rising, and that means a lot of concern and misery for millions of Americans. Jobs have to be found or created, and 20 million new ones over 10 years is a worthy goal.
“That’s how many jobs we must have to re-employ the unemployed and keep pace with a growing population,” says Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber. “The government can support a few jobs in the short run. But over the long run, only the private sector — powered by free enterprise — can keep America working.”
About 7.2 million jobs have been lost because of our deepest recession since the 1930s.
Locally, the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce is partnering with local government, the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County and the Journal-World to organize a community summit to look at ways to create more jobs in the Lawrence area. The summit is open to the public, and participants will engage in round table discussions about job-related issues. The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Lawrence High School cafeteria.
There are encouraging signs about trends for economic recovery and some are saying the worst may have been avoided. But that offers little consolation to people who have no jobs, whose unemployment and health benefits have run out and who have to make agonizing decisions to maintain mere survival.
No matter how bright the market reports and bank statements may sound, we still are ensnarled in a “jobless recovery.” Until more people go back to work and the unemployment rate is below at least 6 percent, we cannot pat ourselves on our backs very much.
Comments
SettingTheRecordStraight 8 years, 6 months ago
And let's remember that we need more private sector jobs, not more government jobs.
JHOK32 8 years, 6 months ago
Let us also remember how many thousands of jobs would also have been lost if it were not for the stimulus package.
corduroypants 8 years, 6 months ago
Wait. We need jobs? Who knew? Thanks for turning over that rock, LJWorld. As always, cutting edge commentary.
Scott Drummond 8 years, 6 months ago
Deport all illegal aliens and the unemployment issue improves dramatically. Is the Chamber in favor of that?
Sunny Parker 8 years, 6 months ago
JHOK32...How many billions did that cost the tax payers and their grand children?
Where are the jobs that Obamy Hussein has promised to create?
parrothead8 8 years, 6 months ago
It doesn't take a genius to know we need jobs in this country. The US Chamber of Commerce is a joke of an organization. As Eliot Spitzer says, it "has been wrong on virtually every major public-policy issue of the past decade: financial deregulation, tax and fiscal policy, global warming and environmental enforcement, consumer protection, health care reform..."
They've also spent twice as much on lobbyists as any other group or corporation in the last decade. Great. A group that gets everything wrong has a ton of muscle. They need more brains to go with their brawn.
People who ask where the jobs are need to get over their ignorant shortsightedness. This economic meltdown was years in the making, and it's going to take a long time to get out.
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