Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy Mark Warshawsky said today in a statement:

“Building on the progress started by the Jobs and Economic Growth Act, the President is continuing his efforts to strengthen the economy and create jobs…” (Department of Treasury, 1/23/04)

However, job creation “progress” under the Bush Administration has resulted in only 1,000 new jobs in December.  At that rate, it will take 192 years and eight months for the economy to return to the number of jobs at the beginning of President Bush's term of office. (House Budget Committee, Democratic Staff)

In Addition, under President Bush, an average of 66,000 jobs have been lost per month, while the Clinton economy created an average of 236,000 jobs every month.  (Chicago Tribune, “If only President Bush would speak the truth,” Molly Ivins, 1/23/04)

Wages:

The Center for American Progress reports that the “the Administration's tax cuts for the wealthy have done little to deal with this very serious problem” of wage disparity.

According to a Wall Street Journal article titled “The Gap in Wages
Is Growing Again For U.S. Workers, 1/23/04):

New data from the Labor Department show that after adjustment for inflation, salaries of the country's lowest-paid workers -- those who fall just inside the bottom 10% of the pay range -- fell 3% last year, from 2002. Meanwhile, the salaries of the highest paid workers -- those who are just inside the top 10% -- were unchanged. The divergence appeared to grow in the fourth quarter as higher-paid workers gained ground and lower-paid workers slipped further, based on comparisons with original year-earlier data that are subject to revision.

The numbers continue a movement to greater wage inequality that began around the time President Bush succeeded President Clinton and the economy slid into recession three years ago. The trend represents a reversal from the late 1990s, when the lowest unemployment rates in a generation had enabled the lowest-paid workers to keep pace with those at the top.