A lot has changed for Michigan over the last year. We started 2010 with more than a billion dollars in state debt. Now for the first time in years, we have a surplus in state revenue. This change didn’t happen overnight and it certainly wasn’t easy. Hard work is finally starting to pay off for hard-working Michigan taxpayers.
Getting Michigan back on track meant making our state a place that businesses wanted to operate, necessitating changes in our tax code and other reforms. Since making these changes, we have slowly started to see our state rebound. Organizations throughout the country are taking note. Michigan was listed as the number one state for job growth by Newsweek in August. Bloomberg News reported in November that “Michigan’s economy is recovering from the recession at the second-fastest rate in the U.S.” Earlier this month, the Small Business Association of Michigan unveiled a new website to track our revitalization and job creation success- check it out here- michiganjobsinsight.com.
Furthermore, unemployment is continuing to fall, and is now at 8.3 percent, down 2.6 percent since I took office last January. This is the largest reduction in unemployment over this time period in the country. As one of the states hardest hit by the recession, we are certainly making a great comeback. I strongly believe that we are on the right track, and recent polls confirm that for the first time since 2003, residents believe we are headed in the right direction.
We are not out of the woods in terms of the economy just yet, but we are making great progress and there are resources available to help get many residents back on their feet. Earlier this year, Gov. Snyder announced the creation of a new website to connect employees with employers. Pure Michigan Talent Connect helps connect unemployed skilled workers with jobs that match their talents right here in our state. Even in this economy, thousands of jobs remain unfilled as employers struggle to find qualified professionals for new jobs. Visit the website- www.MiTalent.org to find your next career move.
We have worked hard to create an environment where jobs can be created, and the results are showing. The days of people leaving Michigan in search of good-paying jobs are coming to a close and now hard-working taxpayers in Michigan can go back to work and make a good living without moving away. It is my aim as your state representative to make sure that your children and grandchildren can stay here in Michigan and have good jobs. The work is far from over but the results speak for themselves. I look forward to more success for our state in the future.
Michigan State Representative
Brad Jacobsen