Data from the Bureau labour of Statistics reveals that approximately 7% of Americans work for the government. This includes people employed in the federal, state and local government. Data from the United States Census bureau reveal that the percentage of employees in the private sector is approximately 6.6%. This includes people who consider self-employment as a vital part of their income.
Non-profit employment, on the other hand, is approximately 10.1% of employment in the country. It is stipulated that the great recession caused the non-profit sector to gain jobs at approximately 1.9% yearly. There was also a loss of jobs in the private sector by approximately 3.7% yearly (Abraham, Spletzer & Harper, 2012). The bar graph below gives an illustration of the number of employees in the sectors currently.
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"Employment rates in the US".
Statistics reveal that the employees who worked in the government in the 1980s was approximately 9.6%. The percentage of people who worked in the private sector in the 1980s was approximately 9%. Those who worked in those who worked in the non-profit sector was approximately 11% (Abraham, Spletzer & Harper, 2012). A comparison of the data reveals that there has been a decline in employment rates in different sectors in the recent years. Currently, the number of Americans who work for the government is small compared to the percentage in the 1980s.
The decline in employment rates in the past years can be attributed to the recessions. Recession results to a slowdown in economic activity and slows down the business cycle hence the decline in employment rates in the private and non-profit sector. It is estimated that between 1948 and 2011 there have been approximately ten recessions. The recessions have caused many sectors to shed jobs resulting to a decline in the employment rates.
- Abraham, K. G., Spletzer, J. R., & Harper, M. (2012). Labor in the New Economy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
