Billions in stimulus money saved thousands of jobs

we’re seeing mixed news about new mexico’s job situation. numbers out today show unemployment is on the rise… at the same time, we’re getting a report praising the federal stimulus plan for keeping thousands of new mexicans working. the department of workforce solutions say the jobless rate hit eight and a half percent in november. that’s up a tenth of a point from october. officials say the state has lost 44-hundred jobs over the past year in sectors like professional and business services, retail, and construction. meanwhile, there’s also a report out today that claims without billions in stimulus dollars- the economic recession in new mexico could have been catastrophic. but with the good news, comes a warning. gadi schwartz is live in santa fe with our big story. unemployment in new mexico is up to 8.5 percent- meaning thousands are still out of work this holiday season. but a new report done by unm – shows without billions in stimulus money- things could have been a lot worse. the report shows that the stimulus money supported about 24000 jobs last year and could support 23000 thousand jobs through next july. economic models calculate the bailout money has translated into about 2 billion dollars in salaries and benefits alone for jobs in things like construction – clean energy and education. but now that the stimulus is dryingp -former governor toney anaya, who manages new mexico’s stimulus funds – has words of warning for areas that have been saved from cuts- like …