According to the New York Times, in recent years, the ranks of state and local employees have languished even as the populations they serve have grown. They now account for the smallest share of the American civilian work force since 1967.

Questions:
1. Explain some of the reasons why this is happening.
2. What is wrong with jobs created mostly in service industries?
3. By how much have local and state payrolls grown in the last 12 months?

Source:
Cohen, P. and R. Gebloff. 2018. Public Servants Are Losing Their Foothold in the Middle Class. The New York Times, April 22 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/22/business/economy/public-employees.html)