The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today criticized Governor Eric Holcomb for being dishonest with Hoosiers about the economic realities of Indiana. During tonight’s State of the State Address, Holcomb will try to declare the state’s economy was strong before the COVID-19 pandemic, however, a recent report showed Indiana lost more than 100,000 “good jobs” and backfilled them with 180,000 “low-paying jobs” — revealing an economic mirage created by the INGOP.
To make matters worse, Governor Holcomb has dismissed minimum wage jobs and the Hoosiers who have them. Responding to State Senator Eddie Melton’s call to increase the state’s minimum wage initially to $10.00 an hour, Holcomb claimed Hoosiers working minimum-wage jobs and the working class may have “appealed to a minimum expectation” with their lives.
“Hoosiers are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many workers are clocking in overtime at their essential jobs to provide for their families — all while facing the prospect of contracting the coronavirus,” said Lauren Ganapini, executive director for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Governor Holcomb and the Indiana Republican Party have created an economic mirage full of job commitments and false hope, when the truth reveals the state lost ‘good jobs’. Hoosiers should not hold the INGOP to their word, because it’s just a lot of talk with very little action on many issues.”
Key points revealing the Indiana Republican Party’s economic mirage are below:
Indiana lost more ‘good’ jobs than it gained, study says
IndyStar // Alexandria Burris
“Indiana gained more jobs than it lost over a 10-year period stretching from 2007 to 2017, but most of those jobs were low paying, according to a statewide analysis of economic data led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.
The analysis, performed in conjunction with the Brookings Institute Metropolitan Policy Program and the American Enterprise Institute, indicates that Indiana added more than 181,000 new low-paying jobs during that time while losing nearly 104,000 middle-wage jobs.
Researchers said the loss of middle-wage jobs reduced Hoosiers chances of securing a “good job,” one that pays a family-sustaining wage and offers employer-sponsored health insurance.
Those jobs can range from at least $17 to $20 per hour, depending on regional costs of living, the partnership said. Only 40% of Indiana workers had “good jobs” during a five-year period from 2013 to 2018.
The analysis’s early conclusions are the result of a yearlong effort by the three organizations to examine the condition of the state’s economy. The research, known as the Indiana GPS Project, is being released as a series of reports issued from November to the beginning of next year.” […]
“Early findings also suggest that Indiana has lost ground in the production of goods and services in advanced industries, the partnership said.” […]
“The novel coronavirus pandemic makes Indiana’s economic situation more urgent due to its adverse impact on the economy and workforce. In addition to low-wage jobs replacing middle-wage jobs, Johnson said the pandemic magnified challenges the state has faced for years such as the loss of middle jobs.”
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