State and Local Government, Except Education and Health

Industry Basics:

State and local governments oversee the affairs of their respective constituencies with regard to: health care, education, justice, transportation, public safety etc. State and local governments employ an estimated 7.9 million without including education and hospitals. 70% of these employees work for local governments which include: counties, cities, special districts and towns.

Certain areas in the country are served by more than one governing body such as: some states have counties with municipalities such as cities and towns. Employment opportunities have increased with the state and local government bodies as the federal government imparts projects to the state and local government.

Industry Outlook:

Employment in state and local government is expected to increase by 11% by the year 2014. This is slower than the average growth of all industries (14%). Increase in job opportunities may be attributed to: increased demand of services at the state and local government level and the state and local body assuming additional responsibility for federal government projects.

While opportunities indicate a positive growth, budgetary constraints can reduce the employment growth due to revenues dedicated to Medicaid program, reductions in federal aid etc. Public resistance to tax and outsourcing government jobs to private enterprises can affect the income generated by the state and local government body.

Designation and Roles:

The key designations can be broadly classified as: management, professional, service, office administration, construction, transportation, installation, production etc. Service occupations (31%) hold a majority of the state and local government jobs. Other sub-designations are:

• Management, business, and financial occupations
• Top executives
• Legislators
• Accountants and auditors
• Professional and related occupations
• Computer specialists
• Engineers
• Social workers
• Probation officers
• Lawyers
• Service occupations
• Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides
• Supervisors/managers of police and detectives
• Fire fighters
• Officers and jailers
• Police and sheriff's patrol officers
• Janitors and cleaners
• Office and administrative support occupations
• First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers
• Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
• Court, municipal, and license clerks
• Office clerks, general
• Production occupations
• Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators
• Construction and extraction occupations
• Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
• Transportation and material moving occupations

Skill or Education Required:

The required educational level varies with the type of job and the industry. Some basic required qualifications for different levels are:

• Higher officials ( legislators, chief executives)are voted representatives
• High School Education
• College Degree
• Masters Degree in Public Administration

Remuneration:

Due to the wide range of occupations in the state and local body the earnings vary with regard to factors such as: type of occupation, size of the state and region. Overall, professionals and managers earn more as compared to other workers.

Conclusion:

• State and local governments oversee the affairs of their respective constituencies with regard to: health care, education, justice, transportation, public safety
• The required educational level varies with the type of job and the industry
• Employment in state and local government is expected to increase by 11% by the year 2014.
• The key designations can be broadly classified as: management, professional, service, office administration, construction, transportation, installation, production etc
• Overall, professionals and managers earn more as compared to other workers.