The number of government jobs as a result of additions in October is the highest in U.S. history, excluding a bump from the 2010 census, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The number of government jobs, including federal, state and local positions, reached 22,892,000 in October 2023, only being outdone by May 2010, which had 22,996,000 government positions due to worker increases to meet the needs of that year’s census collection, according to data from the BLS. During Census collection, which occurs in years ending in zero, the Census Bureau hires hundreds of thousands of temporary workers, peaking in May, to fulfill collection obligations, according to the Census Bureau. (RELATED: More Americans Are Going Hungry As Biden Boasts About The Economy)
The expected increase in government hiring for the 2020 census was halted in February of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stopping at 22,871,000 government positions, just shy of the number reported in October 2020, not reaching its peak that generally occurs in May, according to the BLS. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, government jobs rapidly declined to 21,396,000 positions by May 2020, steadily rising to its current position, which outdoes pre-pandemic numbers for the first time since then.
Of all the jobs ‘created this year’ the majority came from healthcare and government pic.twitter.com/9SSL8TKvNu
— Frog Capital (@FrogNews) November 3, 2023
The population of only two states — California and Texas — exceeded the number of government employees in the most recent population estimates from 2022, according to Census data. Florida, the third-largest state, fell short with a population of 22,244,823.
Positions in local governments account for the majority of employees, with there being 14,660,000 as of October, not yet recovering to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the BLS. Positions in state governments accounted for 5,281,000, while federal government positions increased to nearly 3 million.
The U.S. economy added 150,000 jobs in the month of October, with the growth led by health care and government sectors, adding 58,000 and 51,000 jobs for the month, respectively. Accompanying the announcement for October, the number of jobs added in August and September was revised down by a collective 101,000 jobs, meaning eight of the last nine months have seen downward revisions, with those measuring 337,000 for the current year.
The economy for the third quarter of 2023 experienced above-trend growth, with Gross Domestic Product rising 4.9% for the year. Despite the growth, consumer spending fueled by Americans’ declining savings and government spending were the biggest drivers of the increase, with consumption from the federal government rising 6.2% year-over-year.
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