Many of the candidates for Minnesota governor in 2010 are talking about jobs creation as a way to “grow” Minnesota out of the current “Great Recession.” It appears they aren’t too far off the mark.

A report issued this week by the Half in Ten Campaign illustrates that this holiday season wasn’t a prosperous one for many. The report breaks down poverty levels by congressional district.

U.S. Census Bureau figures show the number of people living in poverty in 2008 rose from 37.3 million or 12.5 percent to 39.8 million, or 13.2 percent. The numbers released in 2009 will reflect 2009’s dismal job losses and are expected to be significantly worse, the campaign said.

With a nearly doubled unemployment rate from 2008 to 2009, it is clear that any economic turnaround must be accompanied by jobs creation. We need to put people to work. The real challenge will come in finding 21st century jobs for these people — with many currently unemployed people permanently out of their past jobs and in need of new skills, new technology and evolved jobs.

Good ideas are needed, and we will listen with anticipation on how our gubernatorial candidates define their economic development plans and how they envision putting Minnesotans back to work. In the meantime, American families need to be supported by extending unemployment insurance through the end of 2010 to help prevent those still searching for a job from slipping into poverty.

We are told that it will take time to retool our economy and put people back to work, but we must not let more people slip into poverty.

Helpful would be Senate passage of the House’s Jobs for Main Street Act, which includes a number of stopgap measures to prop up ailing American families until they can catch the wave of the new economy, whatever form that wave takes.

— Bemidji Pioneer, Dec. 30