OCPA: Recession Doesn't Affect Government

As more than 36,000 Oklahomans are dealing with the reality of losing their jobs during this recession, there is one sector of Oklahoma's economy that is proving to be remarkably recession-proof: government. Oklahoma's state and local governments have added 8,600 jobs since the recession began.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), a free-market think tank, reports that private-sector employment in Oklahoma has dropped by 2.9 percent -- to 1.23 million workers from 1.266 million workers -- between January 2008 (the official beginning of this recession) and July 2009 (the latest data available).

In contrast, state government has grown by 2.3 percent -- to 85,400 workers from 83,500 workers. Oklahoma's local governments have grown by 3.4 percent -- to 201,800 workers from 195,100 workers.

The employment data, released last week, are compiled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the U.S. Department of Labor.

From July 2000 to July 2009, Oklahoma's private-sector employment has risen by 2.8 percent, while state government employment rose by 9.6 percent and local government employment rose by a staggering 27.1 percent.

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