Four Republican led states have regained pre-COVID job numbers

by mcardinal

Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News 

 

The states of Texas, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho are the only four states in the Union to have regained their pre-pandemic job numbers after several years of coronavirus pandemic-related unemployment. 

This is in sharp contrast to states like New York who, according to their state budget, has recovered less than two-thirds of the jobs lost to pandemic changes. 

According to a report by Fox Business News, the state of Texas has come back even stronger, outperforming their pre-COVID shutdown levels of unemployment. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attributed the growth to his state’s “unwavering commitment to economic freedom and our young, skilled, growing, and diverse workforce.” 

“By reaching nearly 13 million jobs last month, Texas has surpassed our pre-pandemic employment levels — a remarkable achievement and testament to our welcoming business climate and strong workforce,” Abbott added. 

The four states who have regained their pre-COVID employment have one distinct thing in common; they’re primarily red states, all led by Republican governors who have taken a more measured approach to their COVID-19 response in recent months. 

The state of New York, and specifically New York City, has seen massive upheaval in the last several years. New York City has an unemployment rate that is currently well ahead of the national average, with the country as a whole sitting at 4.2 percent while New York City clocks in at 9 percent, according to Fox Business. 

New York state’s unemployment rate of 6.6 percent in November of last year was down slightly from October’s 6.9 percent, but the state is still well above the national unemployment rate. 

Job Creators Network President and CEO Alfredo Ortiz weighed in, telling Fox Business last month that the former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s private business vaccine mandate was the former mayor’s “final insult” to business owners.  

Despite some changes in COVID-19 vaccine requirements nationwide, there still might not be any relief in sight for non-vaccinated New Yorkers looking for work. 

The city of New York’s coronavirus vaccine mandates will stay in effect now, despite the Supreme Court of the United States blocking the vaccine requirements from the Biden administration, according to The New York Daily News

“Jonah Allon, a spokesman for [New York Mayor] Adams, said the ruling has no bearing on the city’s far stricter business mandate, which does not allow a testing option and covers all private employers, regardless of size. The ruling also does not impact the city’s other mandates, such as the vaccine requirement for indoor dining,” the publication reported.

When dividing the nation by Republican and Democratic lead states, as of last year, on average states led by Republican governors have an unemployment rate averaging 4.5 percent while Democrat-led average is 6.1 percent, which, according to the Republican Governors Association, is noticeably above the national average. 

“The data makes it clear: Republican governors are successfully re-opening their economies, getting their residents back to work, and leading their states through the most effective recovery from the pandemic,” said RGA Communications Director Jesse Hunt. 

“The balanced approach seen in Republican-led states across the country is working; the outperformance of their Democrat-led counterparts in this latest unemployment report proves once again Republican governors have helped make red states a better place to live and work.”

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