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Bill de Blasio Vowed to Create 100,000 Jobs. The Truth? No One Really Knows.

Officials from the Economic Development Corporation, the agency charged with delivering upon the mayor’s plan, called New York Works, say it is “impractical for the city to track specific jobs created,” in documents reviewed by The New York Times.

 By Jeffery C. Mays

Mayor Bill de Blasio surprised many in the city’s political class two years ago when he broadened his push to address income inequality by promising to create 100,000 jobs in 10 years that would pay $50,000 or more per year.

“We have to drive up incomes,” Mr. de Blasio said during his State of the City address that year at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. “That means actually helping people to get the kind of jobs that allow you to afford to live in New York City — good-paying jobs.”

More than two years later, it’s unclear exactly how many of those “good-paying jobs” have been created because the city has not been keeping track.

Officials from the Economic Development Corporation, the agency charged with delivering upon the mayor’s plan, called New York Works, say it is “impractical for the city to track specific jobs created,” in documents reviewed by The New York Times.

“We know why those jobs get created and what the specific relationship is to our investment,” Mr. de Blasio said on Sunday after speaking to a group in Concord, New Hampshire where he is considering a run for president.

“It’s something we have to do by projection but we believe the projections are clear and effective,” the mayor added.

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