State of New Jersey Archives: on Jobs

Ray Lesniak: Job creation by career fairs & keeping existing employers

With Senator Lesniak's help, community events such as "Get New Jersey Working" will continue to be an example of strengthening our economy one job at a time. Senator Lesniak has been instrumental in expanding health care opportunities at Trinatas Hospital. Port Elizabeth employs thousands of Elizabeth residents and Senator Lesniak has been the leading voice in Trenton to help our ports maintain their #1 status as a destination for cargo on the East Coast.

Phil Murphy: Raise minimum wage to $15 an hour

• Raising minimum wage to $15 an hour, so that those who want to work can support their family and ensure that no one who works full time in 2017 lives in poverty.
• Mandating earned sick leave, and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit;
• Ensuring equal pay for equal work;
• Establishing a child and dependent care tax credit to ease the burden on families struggling with the high costs of care;
• And finally making millionaires and corporations pay their fair share of taxes, so we can make the investments we need in our schools.

Chris Christie: Zero means zero: fight abuse of sick leave & pension fraud

Our pension system is burdened by some who collect disability retirement because they claim they are "totally and permanently disabled," but who are now working full-time. So we've established by Executive Order a special unit to prosecute pension fraud. Let's go even further to solidify our pension system and reduce costs by reforming our disability retirement system to end this fraud and abuse. This will also help us to reduce property taxes.

Barbara Buono: Raise minimum wage & restore Earned Income Tax Credit

Barbara is committed to creating the chance to get an affordable education and a good job and to go as far as your talents take you. That's why she introduced legislation to make college costs more transparent and fought to keep higher education costs down. She's championed efforts to hold down property taxes by asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share, and she's cut taxes for small businesses to spur new hiring.

Barbara's leading the fight to increase NJ's minimum wage and ensure it keeps up with inflation. And as governor, she'll restore funding for the Earned Income Tax Credit that was slashed by Governor Christie, helping more hardworking New Jerseyans support their families and move from welfare to work.

Chris Christie: I inherited 119,000 private-sector jobs lost

Christie's number is in the ballpark. Let's look at the Republican governor's numbers and whether Corzine is truly to blame for those lost jobs. Both the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and NJ Department of Labor show NJ had 3,209,900 private-sector jobs in December 2009. A year prior, the state had 3,325,600 private-sector jobs. That's a net loss of 115,700 jobs.

Next, we need to determine whether Corzine really is to blame for those lost jobs. The first half of 2009--Corzine's last year in office--was marked by recession. The governor not only can't take all the credit for job gains, he can't pin blame for loss solely on another administration when there are other factors at work.

Our ruling: Since the governor's number is off slightly and the claim implies that Corzine is to blame for those job losses, we give Christie a ruling of Half True.

Barbara Buono: N.J. unemployment worse than US average & surrounding states

There are differing opinions about how unemployment should be measured but based strictly on the unemployment rate, Buono's three points appear to be valid. The national unemployment rate lingered at 9% throughout 2011. By February of this year it had fallen to 7.7%. So Buono is right that the US unemployment rate has declined steadily. Next, is NJ's unemployment rate nearly 2% higher than the nation's? It is, but only since about July 2012. Finally, how does NJ's unemployment rate stack up against CT and NY? BLS data shows that NJ's unemployment rate was at least 1% higher than CT's rate throughout 2012.

Our ruling: Given the varying degrees of accuracy, as well as the state measuring unemployment differently from the BLS, we rate Buono's claim "Mostly True."

Chris Christie: 75,000 new private sector jobs since taking office in 2010

• Unemployment is coming down.
• 2011 was our best private sector job growth year in eleven years and 2012 is also positive.
• Personal income set a record high in New Jersey for the seventh quarter in a row.
• Gross income tax receipts are exceeding the Administration's projections for this fiscal year prior to Sandy.
• Sales of new homes are up.
• Consumer spending is up.
• Industrial production is up.

Joe Kyrillos: Supports state law for minimum wage, but no Amendment

Menendez and Kyrillos cast blame in each others' direction for New Jersey's 9.9% unemployment rate, which is significantly above the national rate of 7.8%. "Other states see their unemployment rates lowering," Menendez said. "What are you doing to create jobs? I don't see it."

For his part, Kyrillos said Menendez was "outsourcing his responsibility" for New Jersey's troubles, and on the state level brought the blame back to the last governor, a Democrat.

Robert Menendez: Supports minimum wage increase

Menendez and Kyrillos cast blame in each others' direction for New Jersey's 9.9% unemployment rate, which is significantly above the national rate of 7.8%. "Other states see their unemployment rates lowering," Menendez said. "What are you doing to create jobs? I don't see it."

For his part, Kyrillos said Menendez was "outsourcing his responsibility" for New Jersey's troubles, and on the state level brought the blame back to the last governor, a Democrat.

Chris Christie: Ok with either unionized state workers or civil service

Christie responded, "And, you know what it is to hire illegal immigrants."

Lonegan said the state would be better off without a unionized workforce.

Christie said he wanted either unionized state workers or employees working under a civil service system, but not both, which sometimes have differing rules.