Jill Long Thompson: 16,600 More Jobs Lost in May

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Indiana's unemployment rate rose again in May, as 16,600 more Hoosiers lost their jobs according to a United States Bureau of Labor Statistics report released this morning.  

Indiana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped from 4.8 percent in April to 5.3 percent in May.  The report also found that compared to May of 2007, 27,900 fewer Hoosiers are working.

"All across this state communities and families are struggling to deal with the economic uncertainty created by the failed policies of the Daniels administration," said Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jill Long Thompson. "Indiana is clearly headed in the wrong direction and these job loss numbers continue to demonstrate that."

"We are losing good-paying jobs almost daily, the cost of health care, food and fuel continue rise and Hoosier workers still only make 88 cents on the dollar compared to the average American," added Long Thompson. "We need new policies, new ideas and new leadership to reverse this downward trend and restore Indiana's economic promise."

Earlier this year, Long Thompson announced the economic policy she would implement if elected.  Centered on an overhaul of the state's tax structure, her plan would place specific, performance-based incentives into the state's tax code.  Those incentives would be available to all business that offer their employees health care, pay a living wage, invest in new technology, increase productivity and work to minimize their environmental impact.

"Governor Daniels is out of touch with the economic realities our working families face today," added State Representative Dennie Oxley, the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. "His jobs plan is to get people two low-paying jobs to replace the one good-paying they lost. That doesn't make sense for Hoosiers and it doesn't work for families."

"Jill Long Thompson understands that when the average worker does better, we all do better," added Oxley. "That's why her plan focuses bringing new economic opportunity and prosperity to every Indiana community, no matter its size or location."

In another sign of Indiana's lagging economy, a recently released report found that in 2007 Indiana's economy virtually stalled. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that Indiana's economy grew by 0.3 percent, with only seven states performed worse.

Long Thompson represented Northeast Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives serving from 1989 to 1995. She also served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development from 1995 to 2001. She received her B.S. in Business from Valparaiso University and her M.B.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University. Long Thompson most recently served as CEO of The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy. A former educator, Long Thompson and her husband Don Thompson, a commercial airline pilot, live on a farm in Marshall County.

For more information about Jill Long Thompson or her campaign, please visit www.hoosiersforjill.com or call 574- 892-6100.

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