Another Study, Another PARD Myth Debunked

PARD claims that, "Loss of local business will mean an overall loss of local jobs within three years, despite the addition of new Wal-Mart workers."

Nope, not according to this University of Maine study, which concludes:

By controlling for industry-specific shocks we have shown that the 12 counties where Wal-Mart is currently located have not experienced declines in either retail wages or employment between 1990 and 1994. Retailing, manufacturing, and services all experienced statistically significant wage gains in counties having a Wal-Mart store. Nevertheless, the differences in growth relative to non-Wal-Mart counties were not statistically significant, such that the relative wage growth in Wal-Mart counties could not be attributed to Wal-Mart's presence. This finding is contrary to the claims of Wal-Mart opponents.

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