Federal Government Added 3,000 Employees in August

The federal government added 3,000 civilian employees in August, with its payroll climbing from 2,885,000 to 2,888,000, according to the monthly employment numbers released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the same time, overall government employment in the United States declined by 8,000, dropping from 22,053,000 to 22,045,000. This drop was driven by a decline in the number of people employed in public education in August.

The number employed by state governments in August dropped by 25,000, declining from 5,085,000 to 5,060,000.

At the local government level, employment increased...