Government employment climbed only one-half of one percent over the 12 months ending in December, according to U.S. Department of Labor estimates released Friday. By comparison, private-sector employment expanded about 2.2 percent over the same period -- more than four times the growth rate of the public sector.
At the local level, public education employment remained nearly unchanged for the year, while the rest of the sector added an estimated 57,000 jobs. As a whole, local governments employ roughly 470,000 fewer workers than peak levels reached in 2008.
State spending in fiscal 2015 remained about 4 percent below inflation-adjusted 2008 levels, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO). Much of the recent increases in state spending have been targeted to Medicaid and education funding. The latest NASBO fiscal survey projects that total state spending will rise again this year, but at a smaller rate than the prior fiscal year.
The strongest hiring period in 2015 occurred over the summer, when there was an uptick in local government employment between June and August.
Annual monthly averages paint a similar picture of how government employment has fared. The sector collectively employed an average of 87,000 more workers last year compared to 2014, an increase of just 0.4 percent, compared to a 2.4 percent uptick for private-sector employers.
This table shows changes in annual averages and differences in December totals:
| Sector | Total Change: December 2015 - December 2014 | 2014-2015 Annual Average Change |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Government | 22,000 (+0.8%) | 10,000 (+0.4%) |
| State Government: Total | 38,000 (+0.7%) | 32,000 (+0.6%) |
| State Government: Education | 38,500 (+1.5%) | 37,900 (+1.6%) |
| State Government: Non-education | -200 (0%) | -6,100 (-0.2%) |
| Local Government | 50,000 (+0.3%) | 45,000 (+0.3%) |
| Local Government: Education | -7,500 (-0.1%) | 10,000 (+0.1%) |
| Local Government: Non-education | 56,900 (+0.9%) | 35,200 (+0.6%) |
