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Local Governments, Schools Added 45,000 Jobs So Far This Year

The increase in hiring in April follows several months of weak growth.

The latest job estimates released by the U.S. Department of Labor on Friday suggest April was a strong month for hiring across local governments. The sector collectively added an estimated 23,000 positions, the highest monthly tally since August.

Schools added 8,000 jobs nationally, while all other local governments recorded an uptick of 15,000 for the month.

The increase follows several months of relatively weak employment growth. Local government payrolls expanded last summer, but gains have since slowed significantly. Over the first four months of this year, total local government employment increased by 45,000 positions, down from a gain of 68,000 over the same period in 2016.

Meanwhile, overall employment for state governments has changed little so far this year. National totals for both education workers employed at colleges and universities and all other state-level public employees are about where they were in January.

But that doesn’t mean some individual governments aren’t experiencing job losses. In Connecticut, up to 1,100 state employees could soon receive layoff notices as Gov. Dannel Malloy’s administration negotiates with employee labor unions. Some public universities, such as University of Wyoming, are also trimming payrolls as a result of budget cuts.


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