California’s Mixed Jobs Picture: Government Hiring, Private Sector Declining

Over the past two years, California’s job market has weakened for workers in private sector industries, while the number of government jobs has increased, according to a July 1 report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. “A closer look at this period unveils a more worrisome trend: large and mounting private-sector job losses that have been offset by continued hiring in public sector… fields,” analysts wrote in the report. After reaching a post-pandemic peak in September 2022, non-government jobs have declined by about 154,000—a 1.2 percent drop—while the public sector has grown by approximately 361,000 positions—representing a 7 percent increase, analysts said....