Hiring was healthy in past year in many U.S. swing states
WASHINGTON -- Hiring has been strong in the past year in many presidential campaign swing states, a possible hurdle for GOP candidate Donald Trump, who has sought to capitalize on economic distress.
The Labor Department says employers have added jobs in the past 12 months at a faster pace than the national average in Colorado, Florida, Michigan and North Carolina.
Job gains have been solid but slightly below the national rate in other battleground states, such as Ohio and Virginia.
Hiring rose significantly in 15 states in July compared with the previous month, the government said. The biggest percentage gains were in North Dakota, Vermont and Maine. The only state to lose a large number of jobs in July was Kansas, which shed 5,600.