MAYOR BLOOMBERG DISCUSSES HOW NEW YORK CITY IS CREATING JOBS ALMOST 60 PERCENT FASTER THAN THE REST OF THE NATION BECAUSE OF OUR INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE IN WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS

The following is the text of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, March 25, 2012.

“Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“Our ability to look beyond the short term and plan ahead – not for the next year, but for the next decade – has been essential to New York City’s strength during the national economic downturn. Major steps that our Administration has taken to invest in safer streets, quality schools, affordable housing, vibrant cultural attractions, and growing industries – from bioscience to tourism – are all helping to fuel job growth and help our economy rebound.

“As jobs figures released this month show, New York City created jobs at a rate almost 60 percent greater than in the nation as a whole during 2011. In fact, New York has recovered the 140,000 jobs lost when the recession struck in 2008 and even added nearly 20,000 new positions. And last week, the Economist Intelligence Unit released a study that found New York is the world’s most competitive city, ahead of London, Singapore, Paris and Hong Kong. Simply put, more than any city on earth, we are doing a better job at attracting businesses, capital, talent and tourists, all while providing our citizens with a high quality of life. But we’re not about to rest on our laurels. We are committed to extending our lead. And we’ll do that in three key ways.

“First, we’ll continue to invest in improving the quality of life for every New Yorker. 2011 was a record year in many ways. From life expectancy to traffic safety, fire safety and crime, New Yorkers are living longer and are safer than we’ve ever been. And our cultural attractions – from Broadway to Coney Island – are thriving. Last week, we learned that the Times Square district contributes $110 billion to our economy each year – about equal to the entire output of Portland, Oregon. Our Administration knows that access to a quality school, an affordable home in a safe neighborhood, and the museums, parks, plays and other attractions that can only be found here are vital to ensuring that New York is an even more dynamic place to live, work and visit in the coming years.

“Second, we will continue to promote economic diversity. New York is often thought of first as the world’s financial capital, and with good reason. But as the latest jobs figures show, we’ve helped many other industries grow in our city, too. They include digital technology, film and TV production and fashion design. And the jobs they support – from catering to carpentry – are all helping to strengthen our economy.

“And third, we’ll continue to actively encourage an innovation economy. Exhibit A is our partnership with Cornell University and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology to build a major applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island. We expect it to be a real game-changer for our City’s future – spinning off up to 600 start-ups and 30,000 new jobs over the next few decades. Tech employment in our City has already grown 30 percent since 2005, and this new campus will turbo-charge this growing sector.

“If we continue to take the long view, we’ll not only create a stronger, more resilient New York for future generations, we’ll also jumpstart growth and jobs today.

“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Thanks for listening.”