(Host) An advocacy group says there are 15,700 fewer jobs in Vermont now than there were at the start of the recession.
The Public Assets Institute says state government accounts for about 700 of those lost jobs. Jack Hoffman is senior policy analyst for the institute.
(Hoffman) "To the extent that the size of state government has been reduced by the size of the layoffs, it’s made the recession worse because it increased unemployment."
(Host) Hoffman says the state job reductions came through a combination of layoffs, retirements and natural attrition.
In the private sector, job losses have come in just about every industry. The exception is that there has been a slight boost in the number of federal and local government jobs.
Hoffman says job cuts by private employers are what caused the state reductions.
(Hoffman) "Beyond the state employees I think it’s important to note that an awful lot of other Vermonters have lost their jobs, too. And that’s really the root of our budget problems. A lot of people are out of work, they’re working less and that reduced the money coming into the state and that’s cut into the state’s ability to provide the services that people want."
(Host) The full report is available online.