Another of those "good news / bad news" days on the Vermont jobs front.

First the good news.

Chief Recovery Officer "Czar" Tom Evslin reported that the $55,966,939 sent to Vermont as part of the  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) created or retained 1990.86 “direct” jobs in the state.

Hooray!

The news came on the same day that Gov. Jim Douglas' top administrators released the details of the upcoming payroll cuts of 158 jobs.

Bummer!

The State of Vermont reported 510.8 jobs in a program run by the Department of Labor for dislocated and disadvantaged workers, including youth. Highway construction accounted for about 475 jobs, according to a release from Evslin's office.

In addition, Evslin noted that State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF), a part of ARRA given to states to shore up their budgets, funded about 420 jobs in public safety and 375 in local schools.