By Jon Miltimre — Goverment statistics released this week reveal the total number of jobs in the nation reached a decade low this year, though government employment increased over the same timeframe.
U.S. jobs hit a decade low this year, according to government statistics released this week.
Total Job totals sank to 125.1 million in January before rebounding slightly
in March, according to preliminary first quarter data the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday.
in March, according to preliminary first quarter data the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday.
The 125.1 million jobs is 3.1 million less than the mark beginning the decade and about 700,000 less than the previous decade-low set in January 2003, BLS data show.
Not all sectors of the economy shrunk.
Government employment increased about 6.5 percent from March 2001 to March 2010, adding a total of 1.44 million jobs. Of these, about 1.1 million were local government positions, 200,000 state government positions and about 100,000 federal government positions.
Conversely, the private sector shrunk about 4.5 percent over the same period, shedding a total of 4.47 million jobs, though the population has grown by about 25 million since 2001.
BLS also reported non-farm jobs dropped 95,000 in September, the fourth month-over-month decline this year. The unemployment rate remained at 9.6 percent.
Earlier this month BLS said September showed a private sector job increase of 64,000 over August, but not enough to offset loss of 159,000 government jobs "reflecting both a drop in the number of temporary workers for Census 2010 and job losses in local government."
Government wage growth in the first quarter outpaced the private sector.
Weekly wages for government workers increased from $696 in 2001 to $883 in 2010, an increase of 26 percent. Private sector workers saw wages increase from $720 to $890, an increase of 23.5 percent.
Wages for both sectors are down from previous highs — $942 for the public sector and $943 for the private sector — achieved in the fourth quarter last year.
Jonathan Miltimore is a national reporter for The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. jonathan.miltimore@franklincenterhq.org
Until our government stops spending money and creating more jobs that are dependent upon tax increases, this country will never see daylight at the end of the tunnel!!!!!
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