Sam Brownback

We are trying to figure out what we should be doing from our end in order to stem the tide of all these negative statistics.

I think everybody's key focus has been on the housing market and what we can do to stimulate the housing market.

Ah, thank you. OK, so that that is a reflection of the bigger number of unemployment taking place, rather than that people are unemployed for a less period of time.

You are saying that the duration, the mean, the average duration of unemployment decreased in March of 2008 to 16.2 weeks from 16.8 weeks in the preceding month, and a year ago it was 17.2 weeks.

Well it just kind of jumped out at me because I had thought that would have gone differently but it would have a bearing on whether or not to extend unemployment benefits.

The overall unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent. Where was that rate a year ago?

So that one is more alarming than the number might portend because it has been a growth sector?

Today's news that the economy lost 80,000 payroll jobs last month and that the unemployment rate rose to 5.1% is disappointing all of us.

What were the other major ones?

So that is telling us that companies are not putting on temps? Is that what you are saying to us?

OK. And the biggest falloff in employment has been the construction industry?

Thank you for letting me do this, and thank you for participating with me on this.

68,000 in all housing-related. So that would include your durable goods that you put into a house?

You were hesitant to use the word 'recession,' but would you say we are in a recession relative to unemployment rates?

So that fall-off in the housing market is a key piece of this data. That is the big piece of this data?

I have been touring a number of places in my state and manufacturing industries had experienced a significant fall off of employment over the past several years but have been experiencing some strength recently with the declining value of…

So we have got a real weakness in the automotive sector continuing there? Correct?

Today's news that the economy lost 80,000 payroll jobs last month and the unemployment rate rose 5.1 percent is disappointing to all of us.

You mentioned that the construction industry--when you say on month-to-month, do you see any trend lines on the export on a broader--on a longer basis on employment related to exports broader than a few months?

Do you see any of that reflected in your employment data of either strength or less weakness in employment and export-oriented sectors?

Thanks for the data and the information.

Oh boy. So you are looking at well over 60 percent of the job loss is in the one industry alone, construction?

So if you took construction and manufacturing together, what percentage of the job loss--was it well over 100 percent?

So that the stimulus package which put forward toward consumers is one we would hope would go at that particular sector?

Well the definition is two quarters of negative growth is what I have always understood the kind of classic definition of a recession is.