Report on new jobs cheers Republicans

WASHINGTON — Almost all the jobs lost in the first three months after the 9/11 attacks have been recouped by the reviving economy in the past three months, according to figures released Friday.

There were 248,000 new jobs in May, 346,000 in April and 353,000 in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The report of increases comes in the wake of Democrats saying for months that the economic recovery was "jobless."

Joint Economic Committee Chairman Bob Bennett, R-Utah, helped lead the GOP cheering over the new data on Friday.

"In the 90 days following September 11 (attacks), our country lost 960,000 jobs. Now, in the last 90 days, we have added 947,000 jobs," he said.

"Despite the enormous impact on our economy of the tragic event nearly three years ago, well-timed economic policies coupled with a strengthening economy have created an environment for strong job creation," Bennett said.

Democrats still found gloom in the brightening election-year job picture.

"Today's report of solid job creation in May is welcome news for American workers who are enduring the most prolonged jobs slump since the 1930s," said Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., ranking Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee.

"But we still have a jobs deficit, and most of the economic growth we have seen has fattened business's balance sheets, not workers' paychecks," he said.

Allison Dobson, spokeswoman for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, said, "Any step forward in the job market is good news for workers, but America is still in the worst job recovery since the Great Depression, with 1.9 million private-sector jobs lost in the Bush presidency."

White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan, in Rome with Bush, said the new report is "more continued evidence that the president's economic policies are working and that Americans are going back to work."

Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Kathleen P. Utgoff told Bennett's committee, "Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 248,000 in May, by 947,00 over the last three months, and by 1.4 million since August. The unemployment rate was unchanged over the month at 5.6 percent." Nationally, 8.2 million were unemployed.

Stock market analysts said the good news, ironically, may ensure that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by a quarter point later this month to help prevent inflation.