To Count New Stimulus Jobs, Help Really Wanted

[Commentary] As the $787 billion federal stimulus package was being deliberated by Congress in February, the White House estimated that the legislation would increase employment by 3.5 million jobs, including 24,000 combined in New Hampshire and Wyoming. So far, though, those states say the stimulus has added fewer than 1,000 jobs. Less than a month from now, when every state receiving stimulus funds will be required to make such a report, the numbers will fall far short of White House projections -- whether it's the original 3.5 million job projection or the latest estimate, issued by the White House last week, that one million jobs have been created thus far by the Recovery Act. The enormous spread between the states and the White House reflects how difficult it is to measure job creation and attribute it to a specific cause. The result, a hodge-podge of numbers, could accelerate criticism that the stimulus isn't doing enough to reduce unemployment.