WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Federal stimulus funds responsible for 7,700 Tenn. jobs
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - On Friday, the White House announced that approximately 650,000 jobs have been created by federal stimulus spending.
Governor Phil Bredesen's office said that 7,710 jobs have been created or retained as of September 30.
The administration says almost 50% of those jobs are in either K-12 or higher education.
Roughly 25% of the 7,710 jobs are in the workforce retraining sector.
Another 20% are in government services sector.
The remaining 5% of the stimulus-related jobs are in areas like transportation and law enforcement.
Few places appreciate the stimulus money like Perry County, where unemployment reached 27% in March after an auto supply plant closed.
Utilizing the state's share of stimulus funds, a program designed strictly for Perry County by Governor Bredesen's administration created nearly 400 18-month long jobs.
Republican Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey said he appreciates what was done in Perry County, but thinks stimulus funds should have been used strictly for things like roads and bridges.
"Not only would it create construction jobs, but it would have been lasting. If our grandchildren are paying for this, at least they will be able to look at it," Ramsey told News 2 in his Capitol Hill office.
He says only 10% of stimulus money spent thus far accounts for those kinds of construction projects. Ramsey says the other jobs are temporary and have not brought down overall unemployment in Tennessee, or nationwide.
Tennessee's unemployment rate has hovered around 10.5% the past several months.
The latest figures for Perry County show a decrease from its 27% high to a current unemployment rate of 17%.
Watch a special News 2 Extra on November 18 at 10 p.m. on the unemployment situation in Perry County.
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