Allen Weh
Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh says a dramatic increase in the number of New Mexicans without jobs “highlights a need for new leadership in Santa Fe that understands how to make reforms that’ll help jump start our state’s economy.”
“The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions released a grim report… that shows more New Mexicans are out work and our state is failing to create new jobs — the worst job climate since the 1940s,” Weh said Friday.
New Mexico’s unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent in August, up from 7 percent in July and 4.3 percent in August 2008.
The agency said the state’s job growth is at a 65-year low. The decline in the number of jobs in the state is the worst since January 1944.
“While New Mexicans are struggling to find work, the Richardson-Denish administration has expanded state government by 50 percent in just six years and implemented policies that have handicapped our state’s businesses,” Weh said.
The national unemployment rate in August was 9.7 percent. The state’s labor department says New Mexico has lost 30,900 jobs over the year.
“As the only candidate who has run a business, I know what it will take to create jobs, cover a payroll and balance a budget during tough times,” Weh said. “When I’m elected governor, my first priority is to get us out of this mess. I’ll start by reducing any unnecessary regulations that handicap existing or prospective employers, making our state government lean and efficient, and reducing taxes in line with the states around us so New Mexico can be more competitive in attracting new business.”