Governor Gregoire hails job creation via American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire announced that approximately 14,500 jobs were created or sustained in Washington state during the last quarter of 2009 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.



“Washington state is proving that the Recovery Act is working,” Gregoire said. “We have been transparent and responsible with our investments to put people to work, keep businesses afloat and improve our communities. I know many Washingtonians are still looking for work, and I am focused on helping our businesses hire more people. But without the stimulus funds Congress invested in Washington state, we would have more people unemployed and more businesses hurting”

As required by the federal government, on Saturday, January 30th, Washington state completed the second round of quarterly reporting on job creation/retention and expenditures, covering the period of October 1-December 31, 2009. Since the Recovery Act was signed in early 2009, approximately $7.4 billion of Recovery Act grants and contracts have been awarded in Washington state to help spur job creation.

“Success of the Recovery Act must be judged by our ability to dodge the second Great Depression -- and we believe we succeeded at that,” said Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA 01), who joined Gregoire today at a news conference. “We aren’t celebrating, we have constituents that are still looking for work. But our economy is showing signs of life and that has been made possible because of the recovery package.”

Of the jobs created in Washington state, about 7,300 result from funds coming through state agencies, and break out into the following areas:

Transportation: 690 (9%)
Public Safety: 3,283 (45%)
Education: 1,975 (27%)
Workforce: 763 (10%)
Health and Human Services: 387 (5%)
Energy and Technology: 110 (2%)
Other: 86 (2%)

Gregoire today also highlighted the state’s Recovery Act website, www.recovery.wa.gov, which increases the state’s transparency in using Recovery Act funds. Visitors of the site can see what projects have been supported by Recovery Act dollars, and how many jobs have been created.

“I encourage all Washingtonians to keep checking our website,” Gregoire said. “We’re committed to showing the immense value every Washington town and community is receiving from the Recovery Act.”