Lynch, Bettencourt on NH Unemployment Drop

Wednesday's news that New Hampshire's unemployment rate had dropped from 5.2 percent in November to 5.1 percent in December was met warmly by top state elected officials.

Gov. John Lynch (D) said the drop was "clear evidence that our economic strategy is working."

He went on to tout that New Hampshire's unemployment rate is 40 percent below the national average of 8.5 percent.

“While the decrease in the unemployment rate and increase in number of New Hampshire people working is great news for our state, we must be mindful that more than 38,000 New Hampshire citizens are still looking for work," Lynch said As Governor, my focus continues to be improving our economy, keeping New Hampshire one of the most business-friendly states in the nation and helping businesses create jobs.”

In a joint statement with House Speaker William O'Brien (R-Mont Vernon), House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) called the drop "another step forward in the Republican journey to undo the damage done to our economy by tax and fee increases and additional regulation by the Democrats."

Their statement said that, according to state Employment Security Department and federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the 709,220 New Hampshire residents now working are the most since Dec. 2008.

"We will continue to move forward with our efforts to deliver affordable, effective government that gives relief to employers, not an additional burden," Bettencourt said. "Our primary goal has always been create private sector jobs, and this report highlights our ongoing success.”

"More New Hampshire residents working and a growing labor force is a great indication that our employers have greater confidence in our economy," O'Brien said. "We’ve come a long way, but we still have more work to do to convince more businesses to grow and create jobs."