| | | Which President Created the Most Jobs? 12 Presidents' Jobs Creation by Number and Percent
By Kimberly Amadeo
Updated February 19, 2019
Which president created the most jobs? You must look at percentage as well as the total number of jobs generated to compare presidents over time. It's much easier to create lots of jobs today since the economy is bigger. For example, there were 157 million people working in December 2018. That's more than double the 47.6 million employed in 1929, the earliest year counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With that in mind, Bill Clinton created the most number of jobs during his two terms. He added 18.6 million, a 15.6 percent increase.
Franklin Roosevelt created the most percentage-wise with a 21.5 percent increase. During his term, he had to recover from the depths of the Great Depression. But, it's not fair to use that because he was in office for more than two terms. For a two-term president, the percentage winner was Ronald Reagan with a 16.5 percent increase.
A president's record at job creation depends somewhat on the business cycle. For example, those who inherited a recession, like Clinton, Obama, Reagan, Carter, and LBJ, did better at job creation. They started with a low base and so had nowhere to go but up. Those that created recessions, like both Bushes, Nixon, and Eisenhower, did the worst.
Presidents have many tools to create jobs. The most important tools are expansive fiscal policy, especially deficit spending. Government spending can employ people directly and through contracting. That will encourage the private sector to hire through greater demand from consumers. But all presidents must have Congressional budget approval before they can spend.
A president does have one unique tool as the leader of the free world. He can inspire confidence through a compelling vision. A president who can articulate a message that reverses doubt and pessimism will be successful in creating jobs.
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