The 380,000 Just how many unnecessary employees does the federal government employ
Jan 16, 2019 18:55:55 #
RUTHFULLY YOURS
THE RIGHT NEWS, FRONT AND CENTER
? By James Freeman-
Posted By Ruth King on January 8th, 2019
This column doesn’t wish to seem hard-hearted but feels obliged to ask the various parties negotiating an end to the partial government shutdown why the affected agencies have been employing nearly twice as many workers as they deem necessary to fulfill their missions. Whether President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer decide to call structures at the border walls or fences, they ought to at least explain how they are managing the public payroll inside the United States.
Various media reports have noted that the temporary closure of 25% of the government has forced roughly 420,000 federal workers deemed essential to continue working while some 380,000 who are not deemed essential stay home. If it were a business, this non-essential portion of just a quarter of our government would be among the largest private employers in the country. Does this mean that non-essentials approach 1.5 million across the entire government? As American businesses scour their communities for talent during an historic worker shortage, taxpayers seem to be paying to maintain the world’s largest reserve force of bureaucrats.
An incurious press corps seems largely uninterested in the appropriate size of the federal workforce. Numerous recent reports have covered the shutdown story largely as a tale of a villainous President inflicting uncertainty on civil servants who wonder when they will be able to pay their mortgages.
“As thousands of furloughed federal employees worry about when their next paycheck will arrive, their bills are piling up,” writes Renata Birkenbuel in a recent Newsweek story.
“Government Shutdown Leaves Workers Reeling,” reads a New York Times headline from January 3.
Government Executive magazine reported the next day on legislative efforts to ensure that federal shutdowns never again threaten federal paychecks:
Maryland’s Senate delegation on Thursday reintroduced a bill to ensure that federal workers furloughed during the partial government shutdown, and any potential future shutdowns, will be promptly given back pay once federal agencies reopen.
Paid furloughs are nice. Depending on the individual employee, getting tagged non-essential can be either insulting and discouraging or a cause to celebrate an unexpected stay-cation. Still, there’s no upside for people who have to wait for paychecks. Such delays can create problems with creditors—though perhaps not as many as one would think. “Servicers treating government shutdown like a natural disaster,” reads the headline on a Friday report from American Banker. The trade publication notes:
As the government shutdown enters its third week, mortgage servicers are activating the response plans they normally use during hurricanes and wildfires to assist federal workers who may have trouble paying their mortgages.
…During the shutdown in 2013, the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac all called for temporary postponement on mortgage payments for furloughed workers. Lenders are offering paycheck loan assistance programs this time around.
Credit unions like Navy Federal and PenFed, are providing 0% APR loans for impacted members who have established direct deposit accounts with them.
…Mortgage servicers offer forbearance to bridge the gap.
This column doesn’t wish for anyone to miss an earned paycheck. But the people who support the federal payroll deserve an explanation for why their political leaders seem to be buying almost twice as much bureaucracy as even official Washington deems necessary.
The federal government currently employs just over 2 million full-time employees, excluding Postal Service workers. States with the most federal civilian employees as of December 2016 include California (141,158), Virginia (136,377), Maryland (130,402) and Texas (114,170).
Today’s government is indeed big (3.5 times bigger than five and a half decades ago), but dispersed to disguise its size.
To which add the estimated 7.5 million for-profit contractors. Plus the conservative estimate of 3 million federally funded employees of state and local governments. To this total of more than 12 million, add the approximately 2 million actual federal employees. This 14 million is about 10 million more than the estimated 4 million federal employees and contractors during the Eisenhower administration
cns news---There were 21,995,000 employed by federal, state and local government in the United States in August, according to BLS. By contrast, there were only 12,329,000 employed in the manufacturing sector.
The BLS has published seasonally-adjusted month-by-month employment numbers for both government and manufacturing going back to 1939. In the first 50 years of the 76-year span since then, manufacturing out-employed government. But in August 1989, government overtook manufacturing as a U.S. employer.
That month, government employed 17,989,000 and manufacturing employed 17,964,000.
SOURCE- Ruth King-RUTHFULLY YOURS-THE RIGHT NEWS, FRONT AND CENTER- Renata Birkenbuel in a recent Newsweek-NYT-GOV EXECUTIVE MAG-CNS- James Freeman
THE RIGHT NEWS, FRONT AND CENTER
? By James Freeman-
Posted By Ruth King on January 8th, 2019
This column doesn’t wish to seem hard-hearted but feels obliged to ask the various parties negotiating an end to the partial government shutdown why the affected agencies have been employing nearly twice as many workers as they deem necessary to fulfill their missions. Whether President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer decide to call structures at the border walls or fences, they ought to at least explain how they are managing the public payroll inside the United States.
Various media reports have noted that the temporary closure of 25% of the government has forced roughly 420,000 federal workers deemed essential to continue working while some 380,000 who are not deemed essential stay home. If it were a business, this non-essential portion of just a quarter of our government would be among the largest private employers in the country. Does this mean that non-essentials approach 1.5 million across the entire government? As American businesses scour their communities for talent during an historic worker shortage, taxpayers seem to be paying to maintain the world’s largest reserve force of bureaucrats.
An incurious press corps seems largely uninterested in the appropriate size of the federal workforce. Numerous recent reports have covered the shutdown story largely as a tale of a villainous President inflicting uncertainty on civil servants who wonder when they will be able to pay their mortgages.
“As thousands of furloughed federal employees worry about when their next paycheck will arrive, their bills are piling up,” writes Renata Birkenbuel in a recent Newsweek story.
“Government Shutdown Leaves Workers Reeling,” reads a New York Times headline from January 3.
Government Executive magazine reported the next day on legislative efforts to ensure that federal shutdowns never again threaten federal paychecks:
Maryland’s Senate delegation on Thursday reintroduced a bill to ensure that federal workers furloughed during the partial government shutdown, and any potential future shutdowns, will be promptly given back pay once federal agencies reopen.
Paid furloughs are nice. Depending on the individual employee, getting tagged non-essential can be either insulting and discouraging or a cause to celebrate an unexpected stay-cation. Still, there’s no upside for people who have to wait for paychecks. Such delays can create problems with creditors—though perhaps not as many as one would think. “Servicers treating government shutdown like a natural disaster,” reads the headline on a Friday report from American Banker. The trade publication notes:
As the government shutdown enters its third week, mortgage servicers are activating the response plans they normally use during hurricanes and wildfires to assist federal workers who may have trouble paying their mortgages.
…During the shutdown in 2013, the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac all called for temporary postponement on mortgage payments for furloughed workers. Lenders are offering paycheck loan assistance programs this time around.
Credit unions like Navy Federal and PenFed, are providing 0% APR loans for impacted members who have established direct deposit accounts with them.
…Mortgage servicers offer forbearance to bridge the gap.
This column doesn’t wish for anyone to miss an earned paycheck. But the people who support the federal payroll deserve an explanation for why their political leaders seem to be buying almost twice as much bureaucracy as even official Washington deems necessary.
The federal government currently employs just over 2 million full-time employees, excluding Postal Service workers. States with the most federal civilian employees as of December 2016 include California (141,158), Virginia (136,377), Maryland (130,402) and Texas (114,170).
Today’s government is indeed big (3.5 times bigger than five and a half decades ago), but dispersed to disguise its size.
To which add the estimated 7.5 million for-profit contractors. Plus the conservative estimate of 3 million federally funded employees of state and local governments. To this total of more than 12 million, add the approximately 2 million actual federal employees. This 14 million is about 10 million more than the estimated 4 million federal employees and contractors during the Eisenhower administration
cns news---There were 21,995,000 employed by federal, state and local government in the United States in August, according to BLS. By contrast, there were only 12,329,000 employed in the manufacturing sector.
The BLS has published seasonally-adjusted month-by-month employment numbers for both government and manufacturing going back to 1939. In the first 50 years of the 76-year span since then, manufacturing out-employed government. But in August 1989, government overtook manufacturing as a U.S. employer.
That month, government employed 17,989,000 and manufacturing employed 17,964,000.
SOURCE- Ruth King-RUTHFULLY YOURS-THE RIGHT NEWS, FRONT AND CENTER- Renata Birkenbuel in a recent Newsweek-NYT-GOV EXECUTIVE MAG-CNS- James Freeman
Jan 16, 2019 19:05:21 #
Far, very far too many are employed including Congress and the Senate. Plus there should be very short term limits. I don't trust either, but if we have an fbi, why do we need the nsa? There are manyt duplicates like this.
Jan 16, 2019 22:06:50 #
If all governments, city, county, state, & Federal had to operate like private industry has to, they would have to cut employees 30-40% immediately & 10-15% more over 2 years.
If that sounds insane, it is not.
Typical government employees get 2-3 times more holidays, are almost impossible to fire, make more for same jobs, sk**ls, education, than employees in private industry. They have no performance metrics, need a case to look at, the VA.
Way back when I was a young man, Government jobs paid less because of the extra benefits, holidays, & vacation time.
Government employee unions are just as responsible for bloated government as senators & representatives.
This country was not established on professional politicians, there weren’t any then & we do not need them now. We need people who can take time off from their jobs to be Representatives & Senators 3 months out of the year w/o interruption.
If that sounds insane, it is not.
Typical government employees get 2-3 times more holidays, are almost impossible to fire, make more for same jobs, sk**ls, education, than employees in private industry. They have no performance metrics, need a case to look at, the VA.
Way back when I was a young man, Government jobs paid less because of the extra benefits, holidays, & vacation time.
Government employee unions are just as responsible for bloated government as senators & representatives.
This country was not established on professional politicians, there weren’t any then & we do not need them now. We need people who can take time off from their jobs to be Representatives & Senators 3 months out of the year w/o interruption.
Jan 16, 2019 22:15:44 #
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