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OPA News Release: [01/06/2006]
Contact Name:
Stephanie Cathcart
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
Release Number:
06-0028-PHI
U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao Delivers Remarks In
Baltimore on Strength of U.S. Economy
BALTIMORE — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, joined
by Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, visited Johns Hopkins Medical Campus
today to echo President Bush's remarks on the strength of the nation's economy
and the release of the December employment report.
"Today's numbers cap a year of steady growth and good news for America's
workers," said Chao. "Two million net new jobs created in 2005, more Americans
working than ever before — 142.8 million, and an average annual
unemployment rate of 5.1% — one of the lowest annual average unemployment
rates in the past 35 years. We need to stay the course with the President's
economic initiatives."
The country's economy has seen 31 straight months of job growth, and
maintains a steady and low unemployment rate of 4.9%. Chao highlighted the need
to implement the President's pro-growth economic policies to continue to
strengthen the nation's economy. These include making the tax cuts permanent,
so workers can keep more of their hard-earned wages, and continuing to invest
in worker training and reforming publicly funded training programs.
In Baltimore, Secretary Chao and Lieutenant Governor Steele received an
update on progress since last visiting Johns Hopkins in March 2004 to announce
some of the first health care grants under the President's High Growth Job
Training Initiative. Johns Hopkins received $3 million to launch Project Reach,
targeted to help health care workers upgrade their skills. A second grant of
$1.5 million was awarded to the Governor's Workforce Investment Board to also
support training for health care workers and teachers in this growing
sector.
"Many of these new jobs — like those in health care — pay
above average wages, but they require higher skills and more education," said
Chao. "That's why the President is so focused on strengthening job training
through programs like this one at Johns Hopkins."
As the President said in remarks earlier today, job training is key to
helping our nation's workers remain competitive in the 21st century. Chao
highlighted these programs as great examples on how workers can keep their
skills up to date, so they can take advantage of the new opportunities being
created in our economy.
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