Tale Of Four States: Mixed Job Numbers

ByJohn S. McClenahen By most political calculations, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are key to winning the presidential election that is just a week away. Data released by the U.S. Labor Department on Oct. 22 show that, on a seasonally adjusted basis, nonfarm payrolls shrank from August to September in Michigan and Wisconsin while payrolls grew in Ohio and Pennsylvania. However, payrolls among manufacturers in all four states declined between August and September, with the number of workers falling to 701,000 from 706,700 in Michigan, to 823,700 from 824,300 in Ohio, to 691,300 from 693,400 in Pennsylvania, and to 516,100 from 517,100 in Wisconsin.