Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created  Will this year bring another record  Well, <b> any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company </b>  Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last year' s record pace  At the same time, there is considerable evidence that the number of new companies starting up this year will be no higher than it was last year and <b> there is no reason to think that the new companies starting up this year will create more jobs per company than did last year' s start-ups </b>
So clearly, the number of new jobs created this year will fall short of last year' s record
The first is presented as obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a judgment advanced in support of the main conclusion of the argument.