Press Release

Gutierrez Hails Better Than Forecast 132,000 Jobs Created in June

WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today issued the following statement on the June Employment Report that showed that 132,000 new jobs were created in June, and April and May were revised upward by a total of 75,000 jobs. The nation’s unemployment rate remained low at 4.5 percent.

“As Americans celebrated our nation’s birthday, today’s jobs report gives us another reason to celebrate America’s strength. June is the 46^th straight month of rising employment in the U.S. Americans should be proud that more than 8 million jobs—equivalent to the population of New York City—have been created since the labor market turnaround in 2003. Our unemployment rate is slightly below the average for 2006, and well below the average of the past four decades.

“President Bush’s policies have provided a foundation for this growth by establishing a low tax, pro-growth environment that encourages innovation, investment, exports and the development of globally competitive American companies. Americans have experienced the results, with contained inflation and real after-tax per capita personal income rising by 9.9 percent since the beginning of the administration.

“In order to continue creating jobs, we must break down barriers to U.S. exports and open new markets for American goods and services. We look forward to working with Congress to pass pending Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, South Korea, Panama and Peru, and extending Trade Promotion Authority. When we break down barriers to trade and investment, we create opportunities for American workers and increase the competitiveness of our economy, which benefits Americans.”

###