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Office of the 11th Congressional District of Virginia
Formerly the Office of Representative Gerry Connolly
The Washington, D.C., office and the district office of former Representative Connolly will continue to serve the people of the 11th Congressional District of Virginia under the supervision of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Representative Connolly passed away on May 21, 2025. See Press Release
Congressman Connolly on January Jobs Numbers
Washington, DC,
February 3, 2012
Congressman Connolly released the following statement on today's robust January jobs numbers. Read more.
Today’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is good news for every American. Twenty-three straight months of private-sector job growth and the overall creation of more than 3.7 million jobs puts our nation on a trajectory toward a sustainable, robust economy. The net creation of 243,000 new jobs in January far exceeds expectations. While it is too early to uncork the champagne, the January jobs numbers and the continued reduction in the national unemployment rate bode well for our nation’s economic future. The January increases in jobs in professional and business services, manufacturing, hospitality, health care, and even the construction industry show that many sectors of our economy are getting stronger. One area of concern to me is the continued loss in government jobs, as Republican governors and the Republican House majority continue their assault on public-sector workers. Some 14,000 government jobs were lost in January, and overall we’ve seen 600,000 local, state, and federal government jobs lost in the last 24 months. As far as I’m concerned, a job is a job, and I think a lot of teachers, firefighters, police officers, federal employees, and other government workers who perform duties vital to our everyday lives would differ with the rhetoric of those who chose to denigrate their service to the American public. I am hopeful the current job creation trend continues, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We must continue to seek stronger economic growth to put more Americans back to work and one way is to ensure we reach an agreement in Congress to extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of this year. Statement of Congressman Gerald E. Connolly January Jobs Numbers from Bureau of Labor Statistics February 3, 2012 Today’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is good news for every American. Twenty-three straight months of private-sector job growth and the overall creation of more than 3.7 million jobs puts our nation on a trajectory toward a sustainable, robust economy. The net creation of 243,000 new jobs in January far exceeds expectations. While it is too early to uncork the champagne, the January jobs numbers and the continued reduction in the national unemployment rate bode well for our nation’s economic future. The January increases in jobs in professional and business services, manufacturing, hospitality, health care, and even the construction industry show that many sectors of our economy are getting stronger. One area of concern to me is the continued loss in government jobs, as Republican governors and the Republican House majority continue their assault on public-sector workers. Some 14,000 government jobs were lost in January, and overall we’ve seen 600,000 local, state, and federal government jobs lost in the last 24 months. As far as I’m concerned, a job is a job, and I think a lot of teachers, firefighters, police officers, federal employees, and other government workers who perform duties vital to our everyday lives would differ with the rhetoric of those who chose to denigrate their service to the American public. I am hopeful the current job creation trend continues, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We must continue to seek stronger economic growth to put more Americans back to work and one way is to ensure we reach an agreement in Congress to extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of this year. |