Government unemployment

A table from the BLS, showing the unemployment rate for various types of workers.  Government workers have the lowest unemployment, in fact, about half the average overall unemployment.  Remember that the next time you here the "increased unemployment of government workers" used as justification for why the government should spend money to reemploy various government employees.  Table attached.

Table A-14. Unemployed persons by industry and class of worker, not seasonally adjusted

HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-14. Unemployed persons by industry and class of worker, not seasonally adjusted

Industry and class of worker	Number of unemployed persons (in thousands)		Unemployment rates
	Oct. 2010	Oct. 2011	Oct. 2010	Oct. 2011
Total, 16 years and over(1)	13,903	13,102	9.0	8.5
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers	10,990	10,126	9.3	8.5
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	89	69	10.4	7.8
Construction	1,445	1,129	17.3	13.7
Manufacturing	1,474	1,200	9.5	7.7
Durable goods	937	759	9.8	8.0
Nondurable goods	537	441	9.0	7.3
Wholesale and retail trade	1,888	1,764	9.2	8.6
Transportation and utilities	404	462	6.9	7.8
Information	300	195	9.8	6.6
Financial activities	590	524	6.7	5.8
Professional and business services	1,525	1,495	10.6	10.1
Education and health services	1,263	1,221	5.8	5.6
Leisure and hospitality	1,458	1,448	11.1	10.8
Other services	554	618	8.8	9.6
Agriculture and related private wage and salary workers	176	198	11.0	13.4
Government workers	950	924	4.3	4.3
Self-employed workers, unincorporated, and unpaid family workers	557	612	5.4	6.1
Footnotes (1) Persons with no previous work experience and persons whose last job was in the U.S. Armed Forces are included in the unemployed total.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.