The chart above is courtesy of here. It’s in turn via here, which notes that it’s fairly unprecedented, at least in modern times — government employment tends to rise during recoveries, but not so this time. The public sector has about 21.9 million jobs, which is the lowest point it’s been in years — and overall, they even employ slightly less people than they did in December 2007, pre-crash. Because these jobs account for 1 in 7 jobs, watching that sector is quite important; that’s explained more here. You’re also seeing more retirements in government jobs, beginning that millennial-Boomer narrative. And let’s be honest: it’s not a great market for getting a job (see more here). If anyone brings up the economy or the recession or the recovery in your next few social entanglements, be sure to reference this above chart.
