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Public Sector Employment Inequality in the United States and the Great Recession

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  • Jennifer Laird

    (Columbia University)

Abstract

Historically in the United States, the public sector has served as an equalizing institution through the expansion of job opportunities for minority workers. This study examines whether the public sector continues to serve as an equalizing institution in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Using data from the Current Population Survey, I investigate changes in public sector employment between 2003 and 2013. My results point to a post-recession double disadvantage for black public sector workers: they are concentrated in a shrinking sector of the economy, and they are more likely than white and Hispanic public sector workers to experience job loss. These two trends are a historical break for the public sector labor market. I find that race and ethnicity gaps in public sector employment cannot be explained by differences in education, occupation, or any of the other measurable factors that are typically associated with employment. Among unemployed workers who most recently worked for the public sector, black women are the least likely to transition into private sector employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Laird, 2017. "Public Sector Employment Inequality in the United States and the Great Recession," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(1), pages 391-411, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:54:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s13524-016-0532-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-016-0532-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Jaclyn Butler & Grace A. Wildermuth & Brian C. Thiede & David L. Brown, 2020. "Population Change and Income Inequality in Rural America," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(5), pages 889-911, October.
    3. Miriam Marcén & Marina Morales, 2021. "The intensity of COVID‐19 nonpharmaceutical interventions and labor market outcomes in the public sector," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(4), pages 775-798, September.
    4. Mark Davidson & Kevin Ward, 2022. "Post-great recession municipal budgeting and governance: A mixed methods analysis of budget stress and reform," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 54(4), pages 634-652, June.
    5. Andrew Taeho Kim & Matt Erickson & Yurong Zhang & ChangHwan Kim, 2022. "Who is the “She” in the Pandemic “She-Cession”? Variation in COVID-19 Labor Market Outcomes by Gender and Family Status," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(3), pages 1325-1358, June.

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    Keywords

    Employment; Race; Gender; Recession;
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