You’re motoring along in your Chevy when you notice that your passenger side tires have lost a lot of air, causing the car to list dangerously to the right. So you stop at the nearest service station to let some air out of the tires on the driver’s side to level it out.
A press release issued Monday by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) seems to be suggesting such an approach to jobs in Wisconsin. WMC, in making the case that Wisconsin must get serious about promoting manufacturing jobs, notes that more people in the state now work for the government than work in manufacturing. WMC is absolutely right to be concerned that Wisconsin has lost a large number of manufacturing jobs in recent years. And they are absolutely right to connect the number of manufacturing jobs with the overall health of the economy. But the notion that this has anything to do with the number of public sector jobs in Wisconsin is baseless.
It is inaccurate to suggest that the problem is too many government workers. In fact, Wisconsin actually has a very lean public workforce compared to most other states. According to data released in November by the U.S. Census Bureau, Wisconsin ranked 41st among the states in number of full-time equivalent state and local government positions (FTEs) relative to the population in 2008. Only nine other states had a leaner public sector. Per capita spending for all state and local employees in Wisconsin was 10.6 percent below the national average, and ranked 33rd in the country. (Our Nov. 3 press release examines these numbers in greater detail.)
WCCF supports policymakers’ efforts to create and retain solid, family-supporting jobs in the manufacturing sector. Kids thrive when they grow up in economically stable homes with parents who have good jobs, whether those jobs are in manufacturing, high-tech industries, or even working for the government.
