Raleigh, N.C. – The number of state government employees in North Carolina rose 12.3 percent from 2001-2009 as the private sector workforce declined 1.6 percent in the same time period according to research released today by the Civitas Institute.
North Carolina state government added 34,824 full-time positions over 8 years as the private sector saw a loss of 50,000 jobs. This resulted in the ratio of private sector workers to each state employee dropping from 11.4 to 10.
|
|
December 2001 |
December 2009 |
Number of Jobs Added (Lost) |
% Change from 2001-2009 |
|
Private Sector |
3,217,300 |
3,167,400 |
(49,900) |
-1.6% |
|
State Government |
282,135 |
316,959 |
34,824 |
12.3% |
“The growth in state government workers at the expense of private sector jobs underscores the expansion of state government in North Carolina over the past decade,” said Civitas Institute policy analyst Brian Balfour.
The growth of state government and its ever increasing consumption of the labor market should prompt concern among taxpayers for several reasons: future job growth is stunted by resources consumed by a growing government; fewer private sector employees supporting each state employee increases the tax burden on those remaining private sector workers; and the monetary obligations (salaries, benefits, and pensions) to support a larger workforce grows in a state already facing massive deficit troubles.
Balfour added, “North Carolina’s trend of fewer private sector workers being forced to carry the burden of more government bureaucrats is unsustainable. The massive budget deficits facing state budget writers right now are in large part due to the rapid expansion of state government’s payroll.”
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