The job market continues to be strong. 187,000 new jobs were created in August, and the unemployment rate is at a record low of 3.8%. What hasn’t received much attention is the fact that 20% of all new hires in 2023 were made by local, state, and federal governments.

The hiring boom is a far cry from the 5% that governments will employ in the first eight months of 2022.

The fact that millions of teachers and police officers quit their jobs during the pandemic is one of the reasons for the increase in government hiring. The private sector, desperate to get their workers back to work, offered huge bonuses and incentives. This left other positions vacant in the government.

Wall Street Journal:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of public sector jobs has increased by 327,000 in 2023. This is close to one-fifth of all the new jobs in America created during the first eight months of the year. Public-sector employment accounted for only 5% of the growth in employment during the same period last year.

After two years of government hiring that was far from impressive, it is time to catch up, said Julia Pollak an economist with online job site ZipRecruiter.

Is this a “necessary catching-up”? A big drop in quality was there? It was not noticeable. It’s possible that a large number of employees hired in 2023 were not really needed.

The fictional S.R. Hadden, in “Contact,” argues that there is no other place in the U.S. where duplication of efforts or unneeded workers are more likely to occur than the government.

As layoffs have hit industries from finance to tech, government agencies are boosting funding for new hires. They also offer more attractive perks. The growth of public sector jobs this year represents the largest share of the overall U.S. payroll since 2001 when the government hired thousands of workers to focus on public safety following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Staffing increases are necessary. U.S. Customs and Border Protection increased its border enforcement force, but it still falls short of what is needed. CBP offers bonuses of up to $20,000 in certain locations.

The pay for public sector jobs is on the rise.

ZipRecruiter’s analysis revealed that the pay advertised for government job postings on its website this year was 20% higher than it was last year. The higher pay was largely due to raises for police officers and firefighters, as well as social workers in many different fields. Companies in tech, manufacturing, transportation, and other industries are paying less for the same jobs than last year. They are also adding more hurdles to job seekers.

It takes many employees to ensure that the tasks assigned by elected legislators to federal, state, and local governments can be completed efficiently.

You would think the government would give enough money to workers who are already employed before hiring more.