The Big Employer Still Adding Jobs and Boosting Pay: The Government

While many companies have been cutting staff and freezing new hires this year, the government is laying out the welcome mat.

Public-sector jobs at the federal, state and local level have risen by 327,000 positions so far in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is approaching one-fifth of all new American jobs created in the first eight months of the year. In contrast, public-sector jobs accounted for 5% of employment growth during the equivalent period last year.

“After two years of very underwhelming government hiring, it’s a...