States that cut their public-sector workforce had slower recoveries: Change in state and local government, total nonfarm, and private employment, June 2009–June 2015
| Preserved S&L public sector | Cut S&L public sector | |
|---|---|---|
| Average change in S&L jobs (average of individual states) | 2.9% | -3.6% |
| Average change total nonfarm employment | 8.8% | 6.2% |
| Average change private sector | 10.5% | 8.2% |
Notes: Excludes values for North Dakota, where the oil and gas boom caused abnormally large job growth. North Dakota grew its state and local public sector workforce during this period. Including it raises the average change in total nonfarm for states that preserved their state and local public sector to 9.5% and the average change in private employment to 11.4%.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.