Local Government Job Losses Could Reach 500,000 While Legislation Stalls in Congress

Local government job losses could reach 500,000, according to a new joint survey from the National League of Cities (NLC), United States Conference of Mayors, and the National Association of Counties.

“For local governments, unemployment and foreclosures resulting from the Great Recession translate into too few revenues, making it increasingly difficult to fund or satisfactorily maintain many basic services – not only parks, libraries, and public works projects but also public safety, police and fire services,” said Ron Loveridge, NLC President and Mayor of Riverside, California.

The Local Jobs for America Act will save or create one million public and private jobs in local communities this year, ensure that local governments can still operate essential services, and stimulate local economies, according to a House Committee on Education and Labor summary of the bill.

Despite numerous polls showing that job creation should be a top priority, Congress has not brought the Local Jobs for America Act to a vote. At a July 27 press conference on the joint survey, Rep. Keith Ellison, D. Minn., said that deficit concerns should not be used to delay consideration of the bill.

Many civil rights groups, including The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, support the Local Jobs for America Act.  In a March 11 letter to the House of Representatives, The Leadership Conference said that the bill “will help to alleviate hardships for those most vulnerable, and in so doing, foster economic growth.”