Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack issued the following statement in response to the Department of Labor's announcement that the unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in March and the economy added 88,000 jobs.
"Today's job report confirms what many Iowans already know - our economy has been hurting and near stagnant for far too long. This is unacceptable.
"Over the past two weeks, I brought together stakeholders in education, workforce development, labor and business to discuss how we can grow our local economy and put Iowans back to work. These roundtables allowed people working on the ground to identify the challenges we are facing and come up with solutions as to how to best get the economy back on track.
"What I heard time and again was the need for a better trained workforce. We have to close this so-called skills gap between the kinds of skills workers have and the kind of skills that businesses need. This is why I have introduced legislation called the SECTORS Act that links together businesses, labor organizations, local stakeholders, and education and training providers. This bill will work on the local level to ensure employees are properly trained so they can effectively compete in the 21st Century global economy. I will continue to work with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to grow industry here at home and start building things in America again. Washington cannot be allowed to continue to stand in the way."
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