Private Sector Gains Jobs, Public Sector Loses

Some highlights from today's Employment Report:

1. Private payroll employment increased by 268,000 jobs in April, the largest monthly private-sector job gain in more than four years, since a 286,000 increase in February 2006.   The April increase in private payroll jobs was the 14th consecutive monthly gain, bringing the total number of private jobs added since March of last year to 2.09 million (see chart above).

2. In contrast to the ongoing improvements in private sector employment, total government employment fell for the sixth month in a row by 24,000 in April, and for the 10th out of the last 11 months. Local governments shed 14,000 jobs in April, state government jobs fell by 8,000 and the federal government employment fell by 2,000.  

Total government employment in April, at 22.16 million, was the lowest number of government jobs since July 2007, more than three and-a-half years ago.  Government employment at the local level in April was the lowest since August 2006, and for states the lowest since January 2007, as governments at those levels have been forced to shrink payrolls to address large budget deficits. 

Here are reports from the WSJ and Washington Post.

MP: Perhaps the contraction in the government employment by more than 500,000 jobs over the last two years is one of the under-appreciated and under-reported benefits of the Great Recession.