Holding Down Public Employment Hurts Minnesota Job Growth.

A story in the Ely Timberjay raises a point I missed when critiquing how the GOP insists on saying — falsely — that government employment is mushrooming out of control in Minnesota.

In fact, according to the state's own Department of Employment and Economic Development, public sector employment growth was essentially flat between 2001 and 2005. And that may help to account for Minnesota's relatively anemic showing in job creation.

The lag in public sector employment, due to job cuts in cities, counties, and schools, is one major reason for that overall employment weakness. According to state employment data, Minnesota’s private sector has produced about 118,000 jobs since Pawlenty took office in January 2003. That’s a rate of job growth that’s on par with the rest of the nation, according to DEED.

Where the state has lagged significantly is in the public sector, which comprises about 15 percent of the state’s workforce. “Minnesota’s public sector employment was up 0.8 percent over the four years between March 2001 and March 2005 compared to a 3.8 percent gain nationally,” according to DEED labor market analyst Dave Senf.

“Minnesota’s recent employment growth would have been on par with the nation’s, rather than slightly below it, if the state’s public sector employment growth had kept up with the nation’s public employment growth,” concluded Senf.

The propaganda says if we hold down public employment, we stimulate private job growth. The facts say otherwise.

Comments

[Roger Chamberlain]

I cannot think of a single instance in history in which your model has worked to better society.

Western Europe follows your model of large and controlling government and is a social and economic mess.

Th U.S. has followed a different model and has done musch more for humanity.

Given the corruptability of man and our inherent imperfections, I beleive the U.S. model has done a much better suited at managing problems than other forms of government. Freedom and liberity vs government oligarchies.

[Charlie Quimby]

My "model" is not large or controlling government. It's simply maintaining the model we've had instead of shrinking it.

As populations grow why shouldn't government?