Nutter pledges to consider job-creation recommendations

The Philadelphia Jobs Commission has presented recommendations for creating and preserving private-sector jobs to Mayor Michael Nutter.

Nutter pledged Tuesday to consider the recommendations, which include simplifying the tax code, recruiting more businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs.  

“I think part of the issue is we’ve not always collaborated the best and maximized the outcome of the different funding sources that come in and eight million different rules and regulations,” acknowledged Nutter.

The unemployment rate in Philadelphia stands at 10.2 percent, while the state average was 7.9 percent in December. The national unemployment rate was just slightly better — 7.8 percent in December.

Bob Nelson, chair of the coalition of nonprofit and business leaders, says its members will continue to advocate for the unemployed.

“We don’t think there’s anything new,” he said of the recommendations. He hopes, however, they will help revive “things that have come to lay dormant.”

Nutter already has signed one recommendation into law, making permanent a tax credit for businesses that create jobs.

Nelson said one of the most important remaining challenges is to prepare workers with the skills needed by employers. The Philadelphia School District, in the middle of its own crisis, did not have a representative on the jobs commission created last year by City Council.

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Jobs Commission Report FINAL 2013 01 15 (2) (PDF) Jobs Commission Report FINAL 2013 01 15 (2) (Text)