For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 5, 2012
Contact: Phoebe Silag or Donte Donald, news@epi.org 202-775-8810

Today’s job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that 114,000 jobs were added in September and the unemployment rate dropped significantly to 7.8 percent, with public-sector employment increasing by 10,000.  However, over the last four years, public-sector employment has declined by 572,000, with around 40 percent of the decline occurring in local government education (the majority of which are teachers, but also teacher aides, librarians, guidance counselors, administrators, support staff, etc.). In today’s Jobs Picture, EPI economist Heidi Shierholz explains that the total jobs gap in local public education as a result of the Great Recession and its aftermath is now over 300,000.

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