Recently it came out that the U.S. payroll growth totals 151,000 in February, less than expected. Some items of note:
And while this data shows a softening in February it’s really not a terribly concerning number (yet). However, the difference between how center leaning publications and right wing publications frame this is quite different. Can you figure out which is which?
Civilian employment at the federal government accounts for less than 1.9% of total payrolls.
Because it has been the topic in the news for weeks, we’ll talk about civilian employment at the federal government first, though it is just a tiny part of overall employment.
In terms of timing: Today’s employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics about jobs at “establishments” — employers of all kinds, including governments — is based on who is on the payroll in the week that includes the 12th. In February, this reference week was February 10-14. So these payrolls in roughly mid-February don’t include the departures in the second half of February. They’ll show up in later reports. Also, some of the layoffs are tangled up in uncertainty and court challenges, and it may be a while before the fog clears up.
At best, government jobs are unproductive. At worst, they actively work against the interests of small businesses and the broader economy by creating regulations and inefficiency. For example, the Biden administration and its government workforce enacted nearly $2 trillion in burdensome regulations that ground the economy to a standstill.
By eliminating federal government jobs, the Trump administration is freeing up capacity for the real economy while reducing inflationary government spending via savings on bureaucrat paychecks and benefits.
Federal employees make sure we have clean water, protect from financial fraud, provide healthcare, and make the government actually work for the people. Civil servants keep our country safe and running smoothly. When we protect public service workers, we protect the backbone of our nation.
Articles curated by Ground News